All in time
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: AU: Goku never understood his Masters obsession with girls, not even when he was older. But now that he's met the mysterious Chichi, he finds that he'll do anything just to see the awkward girl smile. But is he prepared to handle the dark secrets that come with that smile? GxCC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I would love to wake up one day and be the new owner of the Dragon Ball Z team, team, producer and writer but I don't think that will happen. I currently don't make money off writing these stories, maybe I will when I own it? They do say wishes do come true, however, until then I leave it to Akira Toriyama! Enjoy!**

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><p>ChiChi Mau<p>

Joy's Canvas: Lii

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><p><em>Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.<em>

She was told life was planned. She was instructed she had a mission in life. She listened and never asked questions. Humbly she followed and never led, it wasn't her role. With a coat of red lipstick, black body suit, that showed only her eyes she would leave her home. She would check her mail diligently for instructions and perform every task.

She was no one, only a ghost to the world. Her life scripted; friends nonexistent, and her heart taken. She lived in a home that boarded many like her and she never stood out. She walked as graceful as a panther and ran as fast as cheetah. She was one of the greatest in her league but she would never show that.

"ChiChi?"

"Yes?" She asked. She sat with her legs crossed Indian Style her eyes sealed shut and her back tall.

"It is time for you to leave," informed the woman. The lady stood tall, her hands clasped behind her back and a small piece of paper extended to ChiChi.

Onyx orbs fluttered open and ChiChi looked up to her sensei and with a nod she took the sheet of paper. It had been eighteen years that she had been training in the league. She had never spoken to anyone outside of the large walls of Muroki Temple and now she had to leave. With no words she stood and excused herself from her sensei's presence and made her way to the room door.

She took one last glance at the training room and then made her way to her room which she shared with twenty other students. Once she reached her bed she saw her belongings packed into a small bag on the bed. Also a shirt and pants laid out beside the small bag. She touched the simple garments; astonished by its beauty. She had never worn any clothes aside from her full black body suit. The shirt had "You must feel silly getting beat by a girl" printed on the shirt with a flower. Quickly she changed into the clothes and placed her body suit into her bag. When she finished she left, she headed towards the small dome room in the center of the temple. She passed the slip of paper to a man that sat inside and waited silently for instructions.

"ChiChi Mau," spoke the man, "you shall live with a man by the name of Ox King. Your assignments will be brought to you by a contact by the name of Vegeta. You will not have to report to us if all your missions are carried out. However, if you fail to accomplish the mission and don't report, you know the consequences?"

ChiChi nodded and the man handed her an envelope. She knew what was inside of the large envelope and for thirteen years she waited for this day. It had been training every day and nightwith only a promise of leave on one's eighteenth birthday. She had watched for years as others around her grew to age and had left and all she could do at that time was dream.

"Inside is your passport, ID, contact information and forty thousand yen. A bus is waiting outside for you, take it and get off at the fourth stop. You are to never discuss with your contact what has occurred within these walls. Understood?" Asked the man.

She nodded again and with that she left and made her way to the large black double doors. She froze at the exit; she could see the large bus that was parked with passengers inside. It looked enchanting outside of the walls; the road to her looked like a long narrow walkway for the bus. She gripped the envelope in her right hand and her small bag of luggage in the next. Cautiously, she made her first step outside of the walls that she had known as home for eighteen years.

"Hurry up if you're getting on the bus," shouted the driver. He was a large man with curly brown hair and blue eyes. He was chewing on tobacco; he ran his large fingers through his mass of curls and got on the bus.

Quickly ChiChi hurried to the bus, she glanced around taking in all the passengers on board. Then when she was satisfied she started to make her way down the narrow walk way to an empty seat. "Hey, Ms. You have to pay for your ride!"

ChiChi frowned, placed her luggage down and then opened the small envelope and made her way back to the front of the bus. "How much?" she asked.

He looked her up and down, chuckling as he read her t-shirt. "Little lady I don't think you should wear that. After all it doesn't look like you could harm a fly," he giggled.

"How much?" she repeated, firmly. She didn't understand the man's behavior nor did she like it.

"Four hundred yen," he retorted.

ChiChi counted out the money from the wad placed inside the envelope and gave it to the man and then took her seat. Everything was new to her from the air in the bus, to the wailing of a

baby in the front seat. She never witnessed anything of the sorts in all her life only the harsh training of her masters. The mountain and trees outside the bus all were a blur but inside was a world.

She picked up her bag into her lap holding tightly to her envelope. This world was very different from the one within the temple, it perplexed her. Various people were smiling but to her it was a curl on their lips that made their teeth show and she didn't understand why they did it. She wondered if her lips could do the same.

She felt like a newborn baby. "Excuse me, can I have that seat?" A woman with long curly brown hair asked, her eyes as green as leaves. Nodding, ChiChi moved over to the seat by the window to allow the woman to sit. The woman had a long brown gown on with butterflies in her hair and it mesmerized her.

She stared out of the bus at the blurry scenery until they came to the third stop and the engine of the bus halted. The woman sitting next to her exited as well as a few others that were on the bus and then new faces begun to board. They all made their way down the long narrow walk way and she watched each one intently. With a roar the engine came to life again and the bus driver closed the door and she was relieved that they would be on to the next stop. However, just as they were about to pull off, a bang on the window stopped the bus. She peered up from her seat to see what had happened and for the first time she saw a boy that appeared to be her age.

"You're very lucky, I was just about to pull off," stated the bus driver.

The boy curled his lips like the others only it was bigger and it looked so much more magnificent to her. His ebony hair was unlike any she had ever seen before it stuck out in every direction and his eyes were large. He was dressed in an orange GI that covered his body but from what she could see he was well defined.

"Thanks for stopping," he replied, sheepishly. He gave the man his yen and then looked around the bus, his right hand rubbing the back of his neck as he searched for a seat.

As he looked in her direction she quickly looked out the window to evade his eyes. He was no one she had ever seen before but it felt like she did.

"Can I sit there?" She glanced away from the window to the boy that now hovered over her. Again, she quickly grabbed her bags and with no words moved to the next seat.

The bus begun to drive down the narrow road as the boy took the seat. He smelled like sweat and his GI was drenched. His arms were well defined, he had the body of a fighter; she admired that. "I don't," he said aloud.

ChiChi arched a brow, and glanced around. Who was he speaking too? However, he had to be speaking to her because he stared directly at her. "What do you mean?"

"Your shirt it says I must feel silly," he replied, pointing at her shirt, "but I don't. I've never gotten beaten by a girl before. I haven't met any strong enough." He still held the curl on his lips like it was his lifeline. "Do you fight?"

"No," she answered, tersely.

He looked her over slowly and then rubbed his chin, his left brow arched, eyes narrowed at ChiChi. "I don't get it then, why would you wear that shirt if you don't fight?"

She stared blankly at him, he was odd. She gripped tighter on her bag and turned to look back out the window. She wasn't raised to talk so much nevertheless about foolish things! She onlyhad one more stop to go before she reached her new _home._

"I'm Goku," the boy interjected. She turned her attention back to him, his hand extended. She looked over it carefully examining it as if it were a weapon. "What's your name?"

"My name?" she repeated. It was the oddest thing to be asked a question that she couldn't reply with 'yes' or 'no'. "ChiChi."

"It's nice to meet you, ChiChi," he chirped. "So how long do you have to go?"

"The next stop," she answered.

"Me too," he added. "You look like a fighter," he stated.

"You look odd," she retorted. He laughed and she was confused again. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" He ceased his laughter, his eyes fixated on her now wrinkled nose. "Do you mean, laugh?"

"Laugh…" she repeated, "I've never done that before. Why do you do it?"

Goku couldn't help but laugh again; he had met someone very similar to himself. He slumped back against the cold bus chair, never taking his eyes off of her. "I don't know. It just happens when something is funny."

"I don't understand," she exclaimed.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I know it makes me feel good." Goku's lips puckered up as he began to think again. How could she not know what _funny _or _laughter_ was? Of course! "You must be adopted like me!"

"No," she answered. "I'm not, I have a father Ox King Mau," she replied, and Goku sighed. It fell silent between the two of them for a moment.

"I've never seen you on this bus ride," Goku interrupted the silence. "Are you staying there?"

"Yes," she answered.

Something about ChiChi enticed Goku. He looked over her again, she was very small but her body was cut like a fighter. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her lips painted red.

"Where are you from?"

"I think we talked enough," she spat. She turned away from Goku and looked again outside at the blur of darkness that zoomed by.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I bothered you," he apologized. However, she didn't say a word to him. She continued to stare out the glass window and he at her. Something was odd about the girl but she was very beautiful.

He grew up with a few friends: Yamacha and Krillen, they always talked about how beautiful girls were but he'd never seen it. They all look the same to him but this girl – _ChiChi_, was very different from any girl he had ever seen.

The bus screeched loudly as it came to a stop, he looked over to ChiChi. "This is our stop," he chimed. She didn't reply, she waited till he stood and then till he exited the bus. Then she stood and made her way to the bus doors. She clutched both the envelope and bag in her hands and slowly descended the bus stairs. "ChiChi," Goku exclaimed, "I don't see anyone here to get you. Maybe I could take you home and I could tell you what laughing is."

"I will be okay," she answered, as she pulled out a sheet of paper that had an address printed on it. She strained her eyes to see what it said, but with a flicker of his finger Goku gave her all the light she needed. "How did you do that?"

His smile returned, "It's my Ki."

"Ki?" Mesmerized she watched as the small flame floated within Goku's palm in the shape of a ball. She had never witness anything like it in all her training, it excited her.

"Would you like me to teach you?" he asked.

"Ye-," she caught herself, "I can't have you. I'm not good news Goku, thank you for offering to help me."

Goku was now more confused than ever, why did girls have to be so confusing? He shook away all thoughts and with the smile still evident on his face he let his Ki die. "I don't think that there is anything I can't handle, I can teach you don't worry."

Something inside her thumped and it winded her for a moment leaving her speechless. She had never had anyone offer to teach her something she wanted to learn; instead it was always something she didn't ask too. "I don't know…I'm not like every other girl."

"I know," he admitted.

Again that thump hit her inside and for a moment she thought she felt a curl at her lips. "ChiChi Mau," came a thundering voice, from behind the two.

Just as quickly as the smile begun it faded and she turned to see a large man with a beard parked behind her. He wore a bright pink shirt and brown overalls; he was sitting inside of an open top red hover car. With no words she hurried to the small car and placed her bags in the back seat as soon as the doors opened.

"ChiChi Mau, I'm Son Goku! I'm not afraid of anything and I would love to teach you to use your Ki!" He shouted, as the car drove away. He didn't understand why but in that moment he knew his life would change forever because of ChiChi Mau.

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><p><strong>AN:** Please be nice and review! TEAM DRAGON STAR!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

…

Chichi sat on the bed completely baffled. How many people were expected to sleep in this thing? It was so big, it could easily fit four!

The thought that the queen-sized bed that sat in the center of the large bedroom was designed especially for her was completely absurd. She had never seen or felt anything as lavish as this. She let her hand glide over the luxurious texture of the fabric, pinching the lavender comforter softly between her finger tips. There was no comparison between this and the thin sheets of the narrow bed she had found warmth in, back at the temple The Clan.

Everything was so different here.

It was all _very_ surreal.

The room was dimly lit by an elaborately decorated chandelier dangling from the ceiling, its numerous decorative crystals glistening in the play of light. In her direct view was a walk-in closet full of clothes in her size. It was all so bizarre! So many cuts, so many styles, so many colors! She didn't understand it; clothes were meant to conform one's differences, not accentuate them. At least, that's what she had been taught all her life. All these clothes, with their variety in color, design and texture would surely make it difficult for her to remain unnoticed.

A soft knock at the door caught her attention, and she looked towards the large cherry-wood door. "Yes?" she called.

"ChiChi, it's me Ox King! May I come in?" came the boisterous voice of her host.

"Yes," she replied.

The golden doorknob turned slowly, and in walked the large jovial man. He wore that same expression that had perplexed her from the moment she had walked outside the gates of The Clan - a smile. His large onyx orbs danced with an emotion that perplexed her even more because she couldn't place it.

He made his way over to a chair that sat adjacent to her bed.

Chichi watched as the much larger man struggled for a minute before finally settling in properly.

"I suppose they made this chair extra small for you," he said aloud, his cheeks a deep shade of red. He chuckled away at his own humor until he noticed the stern expression embedded on ChiChi's face. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with your room," he began to explain himself, when all she did was sit and regard him, like a headmistress would regard a student.

_Okay with my room?_ _What is there to be okay with?_ She couldn't grasp the Ox King's odd humor. A room was nothing but a necessity. There wasn't anything to like or dislike about it. "It's fine."

"Ok," he said. "Well if there's anything extra that you need don't hesitate to ask me or one of the servants. I'm not often at home, but all members of household staff are warm and friendly, they know that this is your home now. I'm really glad to have you here; you don't know how happy I am."

"Happy?" she asked, aloud. So much was new to her; she was like a newborn baby.

She watched the emotions on the large man swiftly change from the foreign one known as 'happiness' to the one she was _very_ familiar with - pain. If there was once thing she had learned during her life inside the gated walls of The Clan, it was pain, and more importantly, how to live above it. However, this pain etched on his face wasn't the same as the pain of the whipping of a lash against your skin. No, this was different. This kind of pain seemed to emerge from the man's emotions, and that she found rather…peculiar.

"You don't understand?" he asked, and when she responded with a simple nod he went on to answer. "To be happy is…it's when you feel light and your heart feels warm." He explained as he stood from the small seat with his eyes hooded, and his heart crying out for the young girl before him. "I don't know what you must have been through, all those years alone as an orphan." He shuffled his feet slightly, "However, I know that I want to make sure that you _never_ have to go through any of it again. This is your home and will always be, even long after you have found your independence and place in life, as is the case with many other orphans before you." He searched her face for any sign of softening, but he was only met with that same stoic expression. Ox King cleared his throat, unsure of what to say to put the girl at ease. "I know you might not feel up to opening-up right now, but I'm here for you whenever you are." He placed his large hand on her shoulder.

Was it pity Ox King felt for her? She needed none, and never would. She was a woman that was trained to do what no others could. So why would she need pity? She sat silently as he placed his hand upon her shoulder, letting it linger as if he was waiting for a reply.

"Dinner will be in another hour, I'll see you then," he cleared his voice and informed her. After a few minutes of silence he made his way out of the room and closed the door behind him.

At the click, ChiChi abruptly stood from the bed. She grabbed the small bag of her miniscule belongings sitting on the large dresser and opened it up. She grabbed a black ribbon and quickly tied her hair up into a messy ponytail. She needed to rid herself of all the trivial emotions that she had encountered today. It was beginning to become apparent to her - people outside The Clan were all weak and emotional individuals, just as she'd been taught, just as she'd been warned.

She was determined to never succumb to these emotions, she had a purpose and that purpose had no room for such worthlessness. Who needed to have that _happy_ feelings when they had a purpose?

Throwing her fist forward into the empty air, she began to train. She threw one punch after another and kick after kick. She upgraded to jump-kicks to push herself harder and harder. She would not succumb to emotion; she would not succumb to weakness. In a few days, the orders for a mission would come. She had to be ready. She had to stay at her peak, she had to succeed. Failure was a one way ticket back to the confinement of the The Clan's premises, and that was out of the question.

Wiping her brow, she frowned when the image of a laughing spiky haired boy from the bus, suddenly popped out of nowhere, infiltrating her concentration. She couldn't wrap her mind around how everyone seemed so at ease and uniform with this _laughter_. Why hadn't they been taught that emotion was the root of failure like it was instilled in her? Just the thought of his nonchalant foolishness evoked memories of her training and the pain she underwent to become who she is.

"_You are no one and I want you to remember that," informed a tall slender man. He was clothed in a loose traditional white GI, his hair cropped with a scar above his right eye. His charcoal eyes burning holes through all the cowering children. "Your only purpose is to follow orders and rid yourself of any foolish emotions."_

_He walked with his hands clasped behind his back in the center of a square formed by the children. "The moment you start to believe that you are someone, you will lose, and you will be punished severely. Emotions hold you back, and pain widens your eyes to a world of power and success. You will be committed to an oath before you leave these walls and you will know yourself as no one. Your allegiance lies with this clan and dies with this clan!"_

A knock at the door pulled ChiChi from her thoughts, as she continued to wipe away at the accumulated sweat from her forehead. "Yes?"

"Ma'am your father will be ready for you to attend dinner in twenty minutes," said a voice on the opposite side of the door.

_Father?_ The man was very peculiar. "Okay," she answered.

The potent smell from her body informed her that she was overdue for a bath. Unclasping her hair she made her way to the en-suite bathroom. Everything about the house was immaculate, dressed in the finest.

The bedroom walls matched the lively pink walls in her bedroom, and the bathtub looked more like a bed than a tub. Black ceramic tiles lined the floor and the side of the bathtub, and pretty white lilies were cascaded about the room. There was a large mirror above a wash bowl that looked as if it were made out of diamonds.

Lavish, foolishly lavish, she decided as she undressed and ran the warm water. She would never let the things of this world become wants, and she would never let herself become like _him_ or any of the people she had met thus far.

She was after all, no one.

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><p>He sniffed his underarms and cringed. <em>Man, how long was I at it?<em> "Heh heh heh, I sure do stink! Maybe that's why that girl Chichi didn't wanna come home with me so I could teach her about Ki," Goku concluded as he took the stairs to their semi-detached town-house, three at a time.

The modest house was situated in a nice complex of ten identical semi-detached units. The complex itself was located in a quiet, spacious and green up and coming neighborhood in the east of West-City. An old man living with his two grandsons was a nice cover for the trio of martial artists.

Master Roshi had uprooted to West-City with his two students to take a well paying job after a monstrous typhoon had swept, sunk and swallowed up all of Kame Island. The four inhabitants of master and pupils plus Turtle had been left with just the clothes on their backs.

Goku slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out his key. "I'm back you guys!" He greeted as turned the key and pushed the door open.

"You're late for dinner!" Krillin announced with what sounded like a mouth-full.

Ah! How could he have forgotten? Goku paled as he swooshed inside the walls like the wind. He took the fastest shower of his life and threw on black track-pants and a white vest.

"I'm here, I'm here!" he slipped into his place around the table, making the chair screech as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Wait," he quirked his brow at Krilin and Mater Roshi. "Why does it smell so good?" He glanced at the spread of food, sniffing it as he went along. Such delicious aromas were foreign to their household, especially if Krilin or Master Roshi were doing the cooking.

"New cook," Krilin muttered between a mouth-full of food.

Goku raised his brow at the news. "Oh boy. I hope you hired a '_he'_ this time Mater Roshi." Goku spoke as he helped himself to some food. "All the lady cooks we've had so far don't seem to like you very much." He commented

"Ooh!" Mater Roshi's face lit up like a spark in the dark. "But you should see this one Goku, she's got buns I could just sink my teeth into. Mmm…you wait and see boys, this one's a keeper!" He spoke with golden stars dancing in his eyes.

"Only because she's on parole, and no one else will hire her," Krilin muttered, shaking his head. Master Roshi was so irresponsible. They were supposed to be keeping up appearances for this job that had brought them all the way out here to this city, but he had gone ahead and hired an ex-con, just because she had a pretty face.

"What's parole?" Goku asked absently as he emptied dish after dish into his mouth.

"Sometimes, when you've been in prison, they let you out early, if you've been good. They keep an eye on your behavior though. If you mess up and do something bad again, they send you back in." explained Krilin

"Oh. That sounds nice and pretty fair to me. So our new cook did something bad before?" he turned curious eyes to his master, or 'grandpa' as they had introduced themselves to the neighborhood and their school.

"That's right Goku, she's been a really, _bad, bad_ girl. Ooh, just how I like 'em." Master Roshi rubbed his hands together and started drooling "You boys don't know anything." He waved their blank expressions off with his hand. "Just wait till you see her juicy melons Goku, you'll just want to bury your head between them and go brrr…ooh…brrr…" he shook his head between his hands in demonstration.

"Melons…as in…breasts right?" Goku asked, just to be sure. Since starting school a few months back as cover for their job, Goku was learning that words like jugs and melons, which he knew to mean one thing, could sometimes be used in other funny ways. It was confusing, but he was starting to get the hang of it.

"That's right Goku. I'm talkin 'bout bouncy, voluptuous, squeezadelic boobies!" Master Roshi squealed in delight, his hands cupped in front of him.

Krilin just shook his head. How Goku had managed to remain oblivious to women with a master like the one they had, he would never know.

"Tomorrow I'm going to give her a proper cook's uniform." Master Roshi continued with his fantasy, "I like to keep things professional you know." He grinned so wide, the gaps between his teeth seemed to stretch.

"Oh boy." Goku shook his head. The last time Master Roshi had presented a potential cook with one of his 'uniforms', she'd been so mad, she'd clobbered him over the head using an overturned Turtle. Master Roshi had passed out for hours. "Please don't, Master Roshi. Let her wear her own clothes. This food is really good. I'd really like to taste this cooking again." Goku pleaded with his Master.

"You'll be singing a different tune once them hormones kick in ma boy. I swear Goku, you're such a late bloomer. At least Krilin here's already spanking the monkey."

"Phtlph!" Krilin missed his bite and sank his teeth into his tongue instead, his cheeks turning the same colour as his tongue.

"But you, Goku," Mater Roshi continued conversationally, "at your age, and you still can't tell the difference between a regular girl and a hot little number." Master Roshi shook his head in pity at the taller student. His mood quickly brightened though at the thought of the new cook in the bunny outfit he was going to make her wear as her 'uniform' as soon as she reported for work the next day. Oh, he couldn't wait to get started on the employee calendar. And, as the only employee he had, she would pose for January up to December!

"A Hot. Little. Number?" Goku repeated and tested the phrase. " Hmm…You mean a pretty girl right?" he turned his face up to the old pervert expectantly, not fazed at all by the dribbles of blood trickling from his nose. "I think I might have met one of those today." he tapped his chin and grinned, curving the corners of his mouth in a way they had never seen him grin before.

Krilin placed his glass of water carefully on the table and turned his head to his friend.

"Come again?"

"I met a pretty girl on the bus today, I don't know about going brr…on her breasts, but I'd sure like to see her smile though. Man she was something. " He said dreamily. The memory of the strange way she had looked at him when he'd laughed, pushing itself to the forefront of his mind.

"You're kidding right buddy?" exclaimed Krilin.

"Nope. Her name's Chichi, and she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen." He sighed, reclining into his chair with his hands behind his head. _Chichi_. "I didn't know you were gonna get a pet, Krilin. I love monkeys. Can I spank him with you?"

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><p>"My chef, Rosa prepared the meal, she's is the best," declared Ox King. His large eyes were brimming with joy as he took a bite into a freshly made dinner roll.<p>

ChiChi glanced over the long rectangular dining-table that was dressed in golden and white lace runners. There were three large candles scattered evenly in the center of the table. Each cream wax artifact was sitting securely on a golden hand carved pillar candle-holder. The seats around the table matched the cherry wood in her room. They were padded with micro fleece; which made her feel like she was sitting on air.

On top of the nicely dressed table were platters of delicacies, of which the scent alone nearly made her salivate. ChiChi eyed each dish carefully in wonderment; trying to grasp how food could stir such excitement in one's body. Never in all her eighteen years, had she ever felt such a strong urge to sink her teeth into food.

Cautiously she picked up a small roll from a platter in the center of the table and took a small nibble. Fireworks went off in her mouth as her taste buds were drowned with a sweet savory taste like no other. All her worry was thrown out as she grabbed another roll from the dish and then another, stuffing each one into her mouth, greedily.

"I'm glad to see you like them," expressed a wide eyed Ox King.

An elderly woman in a uniform set a bowl of wanton soup in front of ChiChi as she polished off the last dinner roll. She couldn't grasp the feeling that this food evoked in her. It's not like they starved back at the Clan, they were fed adequately three times a day. Mostly it was just rice and broth, or noodles and some type of broth. Twice a week they had cured meat, even some boiled eggs for breakfast, but none of that food had ever made her moan like she was now. Well, at least now she knew why Ox King was **so** large!

"Whoa! Slow down there before you choke," Ox King, warned.

The raven haired vixen immediately ceased her avaricious assault on the soup, and mentally scolded herself for her foolish behavior. With smaller bites she finished her soup. "I'm finished," she informed, and placed her porcelain spoon back on the table.

"That's great," said Ox King. "The netsum tastes just as great!" Ox King watched intently as ChiChi begun to eat the main course, smiling triumphantly as she continued on. He was beyond happy with his new daughter, and he couldn't wait till she opened up more. However, for now he'd have to suffice with the joy of her presence.

As ChiChi took her last bite of netsum, and placed her chopsticks down, Ox King cleared his throat. Taking a sip of his Saki, he decided it was time to speak to her about the arrangements for the next day. "This might seem sudden since you've barely settled in, but I think this is the best way to get you integrated into normal society," he explained. "I spoke with some good friends of mine with kids of their own the moment I learned that you'd be coming. They all had some great advice, but something that stuck out as important to me was instilling into you the right morals and a good sense of responsibility." He explained.

_Morals? _Chichi wondered, slightly confused._ What's he talking about? Shouldn't he be more concerned with obedience? That's the true test of character, your ability to obey, right? _

_"_I'm pretty sure that college is not on your mind for now," Ox King continued to talk. "I'm not going to force you to take that path, but I do want you to know that it's worthwhile to think about it. College can open doors for you."

Chichi knew what college was. It was some kind of high level educational institution. She once slipped through the walls of South-City University, under the cover of night and quietly wrung the chancellor's neck. Nice and easy, one of her easiest missions to date.

"I believe though, that it's something you must decide on your own." Ox King continued with his speech. "For now, I want you to know about responsibility and discipline. These are two very important qualities in life that keep society moving. After a long conversation with my friends, I decided that a job would be a good starting point for you" he took a small pause to test her reaction to the news. She didn't so much as bat an eyelid. "My friend Tien has graciously agreed to take you on in his shop." He announced with a big smile. "I think it's the perfect starting point for you. How does that sound?" he stared down at her, eagerly anticipating her reaction.

"Fine," she replied. If there was one thing she excelled at it was work, no matter the nature of the assignment. She always delivered. She was no stranger to orders and holding this _job_ couldn't possibly be more difficult than her real purpose in The Clan.

"Well that's great then!" Ox King beamed. "I'm glad you have no objections. Tien's florist shop is spectacular, by far the most popular for special occasions. You're gonna love it there!" he reached for his sake, now that he'd delivered the news.

Chichi didn't quite know what to do now, but she figured she'd put in a bit more training before she went to sleep. "May I be excused?" She asked politely, hoping that it was the correct etiquette.

"Sure honey, you go right ahead." He pushed back his chair and attempted to pull out so he could pull her chair back for her, but his large mass didn't allow him such quick dexterity. By the time he had wiggled and tugged himself out, Chichi was already standing. "I'll be dropping you off bright and early tomorrow morning, so go ahead and get some sleep. Mrs. Baldsy will give you a wake-up call in the morning. Good night!"

ChiChi gave her host a formal bow and exited the dining room. As she walked down the long narrow hall to her bedroom she couldn't help but wonder, what _was _a florist?

* * *

><p>"What'ya doing Krilin? Homework?" Goku peered over Krilin's head, staring at the scribbles he was making in-front of him.<p>

"Yeah, chem. You done with yours?" Krilin asked without looking up.

"Nope." Goku said cheerfully, plopping himself on Krilin's bed with his hands behind his back.

"You gonna do it?" Krilin asked, tapping the head of his pen against his teeth in thought. Chemistry was just not his thing.

"Nuh, not gonna. Too boring." Goku said, just laying there, staring at the ceiling.

"Goku, if you flunk out, you could get kicked out. Which part of that don't you understand?" Krilin scolded his friend

"I won't flunk out, it's just one boring assignment Krilin, I'm just not in the mood tonight okay?"

"Give me a break Goku, you're never in the mood for anything that doesn't involve training or eating. Come on, do your homework." Krilin shook his head and stared back at his equations.

"I can't," Goku whined, turning over to his side, his palm supporting his face. "I can't concentrate on anything tonight. I should have asked for her number."

"Who?" Krilin asked him absently. Gah, what was SI again? Oh yeah, tin. He scribbled something in his book.

"Chichi! Keep up Krilin, I already told you about her."

"Oh boy, never thought I'd see the day. Our very own Goku, smitten." Krilin grinned, dropping his pen on his book. An infatuated Goku, this was priceless.

"I'm not sure what smitten means, so I'm pretty sure I'm not. All I want is to find her again." he said wistfully.

"Unlikely, this is a big city. You'll probably never see her again." Krilin rained on his parade.

"Aw, come on buddy. Don't take it like that now." He added, when Goku looked almost ill at the news. "Bulma and I have been telling you for months how popular you are with the girls at school. Why don't you ask one of them out?"

"Wha…" Goku widened his eyes, "Me? A girlfriend? Uh-uh, no way Krilin. Bulma's one thing. We have to hang with her, but girls can be nagging and boring, why would I want to do that to myself?"

Krilin shook his head in disbelief, just when he'd thought that the puberty bug had finally hit his friend. "All this talk about the girl on the bus, I thought you were finally ready to go out on dates with girls, and…you know…do stuff." Krilin blushed, casting his eyes back to his book.

"What stuff?" Goku asked innocently

"Never mind Goku. I'll just wait to see your face when that stuff comes up in our biology class. Speaking of Bulma though, did you find that guy today?" he asked, his voice laced with seriousness.

"I did." Goku clenched his jaw. He had almost forgotten the mission that Master Roshi had sent him on after school. "I couldn't get any names out of him, just that someone offered him a lot of money to grab Bulma and stick her in a van. I wish we knew what and who we were dealing with."

"So, no leads, back to square one, great." Muttered Krilin. "Oh well, we'll just keep doing what we do – stay close and protect her."

"I guess so." Goku answered absently, his thoughts already fleeing from the conversation. He was a lot more preoccupied with the person he'd talked to _after_ his mission, on his way home on the bus.

_Chichi_

* * *

><p>Brought to you by <strong><em>Daftpunkress, Guess22 and Joy's Canvass.<em>**


	3. Chapter 3

Brought to you by _**Daftpunkress, Gue22 , Joy's Canvass and ShadowMajin.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

* * *

><p>...<p>

"_Your opinion doesn't matter; your feelings don't matter. You are no one and you will not be ruled by your temper," the master chastised as the long whip hissed in the air. It curved into an angry slither just before connecting with the bare flesh of her back. She knew better than to cry, it would only lengthen the punishment. She flinched, biting the inside of her cheek as it tore through her flesh._

* * *

><p>Chichi snapped her eyes open.<p>

She glanced at the large ticking grandfather clock across the room six AM it read time to wake up. She threw off the luxurious covers and swung her bare feet to the floor.

Today she would start her first job. She was not exactly worried, but she did feel a little bit of trepidation. She had no clue what a florist was and she hadn't had much time to deal with tasks that did not revolve around training, fighting or killing.

It took her about thirty minutes to get fully washed up, dressed, and on her way to the large dining room. More than anything she was looking forward to breakfast. The food here was so different from the food back in the Clan. The flavors and sensations were so overwhelming that she'd stuffed her face and thoroughly embarrassed herself afterwards. Making her way down the corridor, she felt a bit silly to have dreamt about food the previous night.

"Chichi, my dear!" Ox King boomed as he came into view. "Come, join me," he beckoned with a wave of his hand. "Have a seat." He patted down on the empty chair next to him.

Chichi dutifully sat down, placing a napkin over her lap.

"I see that you found the uniform that Mrs. Baldsy laid out for you," he smiled proudly.

"Yes I did. It is rather…flowery and uncomfortable," she stated, shifting in her chair as she tried to forget the ridiculousness of her 'uniform'.

It consisted of two layers: a bright yellow dress that reached just below her knees and a frilly white lace overlay that stopped just above her knees. The sleeves were long and the collar was tight against her neck with a little yellow bow at the top. She felt utterly silly.

"Aww, but you look so adorable," Ox King cooed like he was talking to a five year old.

Chichi merely crinkled her nose.

The large man laughed good-naturedly. "Come on then. Let's enjoy our breakfast and then I'll drive you to work."

As her new 'father' began to eat, Chichi followed suit. She was trying hard not to repeat what had happened at dinner. She made painfully sure to eat at the same pace as her host, all the while paying careful attention to try out each individual dish. As she ate, she pondered on the right moment to raise her question what exactly was a florist? No, she would not ask him. She would figure it out soon enough when they got there. Asking questions of anyone other than her Master was a sign of insecurity, vulnerability and weakness. She absolutely could not afford to have Ox King think of her in those terms. He may change his mind about 'adopting' her and send her back to 'the orphanage.'

She was tasting freedom for the first time and going back to the confines of the temple and The Clan was out of the question.

It was a little while later before the Ox King looked down at his large, hammy arm to glance at his watch. "It's time to go Chichi; have you had your fill?" he enquired, chuckling at the amount of empty plates and dishes surrounding her.

"Yes," was all she could mutter, though her face felt warm as she began to experience the same shame from last night shame from over-eating yet again.

She got up from the table and followed behind him.

* * *

><p>Goku peeled his eyes open and sniffed the air, immediately breaking into a wide smile.<p>

Something delicious was coming from the kitchen. It could only mean one thing that new cook that Master Roshi was talking about was already here, putting together breakfast.

Alright! He jumped from his bed and raced to the bathroom, not wanting to waste a precious second. In less than fifteen minutes, he was showered and changed, ready to start the day.

"Goku ma' boy!" Master Roshi greeted his entry into the kitchen with dramatic enthusiasm, ushering him to the table. "Have a seat! Have a seat and meet our new cook!"

Goku stared, blinking several times at the new cook a person with big blue hair decorated by a red ribbon in a bow. She wore a bunny costume with a black and white tuxedo style romper with white lace, black buttons, and a white bunny tail. It also included a black and white vest, button trim white gloves, and a black and white bunny ear head-band .

Goku blinked again. Was she seriously cooking in that 'uniform' he wondered as the tail swayed from side to side while she stirred the contents of the pot.

"Oh…um…you must be Goku." The new cook turned from the stove to face him. "I'm Launch, nice to meet you." She outstretched her gloved hand and offered him a warm smile.

"Yeah, um…hi!" Goku shook her hand enthusiastically, "Nice ta meet'ya too Launch!"

In a flash, he'd settled down next to a crimson Krillen on the table, ready to get started on breakfast. "Hey Krillen, smells great in here huh?" He rubbed his hands up and down in anticipation of a great breakfast.

"Sooo…Goku? Hmmm?" leered the old pervert. "What do you think of our Launch?" he shoved another piece of tissue into his nose.

"Here you go." Launch was suddenly at the table, a large platter of food in hand. She had to bend over to place the large platter in-front of Goku. "I've been told that you eat a lot, hope you fill up."

"Ooh!" Master Roshi phased behind her, giving the fluffy tail a squeeze. Drool tricked from the corner of his mouth and down his chin, dripping onto the floor.

"Man, oh man," he leered in a sloppy mess. "That my boy is attached to one scrumptious heart-shaped hiney, ooh!"

Krillen's eyes reluctantly lifted off his plate to take a quick peek at said heart-shaped hiney. Burning in embarrassment, he immediately dropped them back to his plate.

Goku was too busy admiring his food to pay attention to anything else.

Launch was simply wearing a sickly sweet smile, seemingly unaware or unaffected by the old man's antics. "Enjoy your meal boys. I'll get started with the dishes."

"Gee thanks Launch! Looks great!" chirped Goku, turning to his friend. "Hey buddy, you're looking kinda red. You sick or something?"

"Shut-up and eat your food, Goku. We still have to make a pick-up stop before going to school."

"Yeah, I kind foouddodloo," Goku shoved more food into his mouth.

"Arg, manners Goku. Try not to speak with your mouth full," frowned Krillen.

* * *

><p>"Our main customer is the typical 'mall florist' who wants his flowers delivered fresh and cut. So as you can see, we're more of a flower farm than just a flower shop," explained Tien as he stepped aside to let Chichi view the vast grounds of flower gardens stretching in colourful plenty as far as the eye could see.<p>

"I see," was all she said, completely unimpressed. Flowers were fragile and frivolous, why anyone would want to grow so many of them was beyond her.

"Recently we've been contacted by a wedding planning company that wants to source all its wedding flower needs directly from us. Lilly, whom you met in the gift shop, is very good with the artistic stuff; she did the designs for all the bouquets, corsages, centre pieces, etc. But between running the gift shop, organizing mall orders and coordinating deliveries, arrangements for the first wedding we took on had us on our toes. Lilly didn't get a wink of sleep the night before; just getting the centerpieces done was a nightmare!"

Chichi merely frowned. One night without sleep was hardly something to cry about. That Lilly was surely silly.

"Anyway, so this next wedding is even bigger than the first one," continued Tien. "I want Lilly to focus solely on that. This is where you come in. We're really gonna need someone to take over her duties in the shop out front."

"I see."

"Right then," he closed the windows. "Let's head back down and I'll get you settled in."

It was about ten minutes after Tien left to inspect the gardens that the doors opened. A young woman walked in with a large toothy grin on her face. "Morning! Morning! Oh…Lilly is not in?"

Chichi looked at her blankly, mentally assessing her. She was rather puny with an awkward posture. She never would have made it through her Master's training. She was also dressed ridiculously in bright colors and bows. She disliked her on sight.

"Excuse me?" the woman glared at her. "Did you just say my posture was awkward?"

Chichi merely furrowed her brow. She didn't realize she had said that out loud. "What do you want?" she rudely enquired, dismissing her comments.

"Why I never! How rude!" the woman exclaimed indignantly. "Are you new or something?"

"Something like what?" Chichi frowned. What else could there be?

"Here," the woman slipped her a piece of paper. "Just hand over my order and I'll be out of here. Trust me, Tien is gonna hear about this."

Unmoved by the threat, Chichi picked up the receipt and noted the order number like Tien had shown her. "Just wait there. I'll go and fetch your order."

The back room was really just a giant cooler. The floor was lined with pots, buckets and vases all filled with cut flowers swimming in warm water. On the shelves were several bouquets arranged for customers, roses making the majority of them since they were so popular.

After locating the bouquet with the correct order number, Chichi stared at it with a frown. While the others were neat bunches of twenty-four or thirty-six stems of dark roses, this one was…well…it was a mess! Lilly had clearly not had the time to sort it out. Well, that's why she was here. She would straighten it out immediately. With that resolved, Chichi got to work.

Quickly, she began to pick out anything that didn't belong. Why were there ferns and ruscuses in here anyway? After stripping the bouquet of all the filler flowers that were giving it volume, she then proceeded to remove all the yellow and orange tulips from the bunch. What was left after she was done was nothing but a thin floppy bunch of red tupils.

"Your order," she dumped the sorry looking arrangement on the counter. "Pay up."

The woman looked at her like she had grown several heads, "No, this can't be my order. This is not even a decent bouquet!" she shrieked.

Chichi narrowed suspicious eyes at the woman. Tien had warned her to be on her guard, that sometimes customers would try to bargain down on the price by coming up with all kinds of excuses. But he'd assured her that all their produce was fresh and of prime quality and that she should stick to the pricing or send them on their way. Being new, he had urged her to be careful in case someone tried to 'stiff' her.

Well, Tien need not worry, she wasn't about to let some weak-looking woman stiff her.

"Oh?" She leaned over the counter and peered at the customer with a threatening look.

"Don't look at me with that attitude young lady. I will excuse it because you are new, but…this is most definitely not my order. I will not pay a single cent for this rubbish!" She pushed the 'bouquet' angrily back in Chichi's direction. The next thing she knew, she couldn't breathe.

"You will pay or die," Chichi said coldly, her fingers gripped around her throat. "Choose." She tightened her hold. She would not be 'stiffed', she would not let Tien down.

With bulging eyes, the customer struggled fruitlessly until the lack of oxygen caused her brain to shut down she lost consciousness just as a trickle of urine ran down her leg.

"Weak." Chichi dropped her dispassionately, wondering where Tien usually kept the unconscious bodies of the client's. Hmm, weird that he didn't explain.

Chichi grabbed her by the feet and dragged her body out of the florist store and laid her down on the bench outside by the door. She went back inside and grabbed the lady's bag and brought it out, setting it down beside her.

And so began her first day at work.

* * *

><p>"Would you guys stop being so stiff? I just wanna grab some ice cream with a few friends." Bulma poked the shorter of her two bodyguards with her finger.<p>

"But Bulma, you know the rules; we're supposed to escort you home immediately after school. It's for your own safety, you know that," Krillen pointed out.

"Sorry Bulma, I'd really like to stop for some ice cream too, but Master Roshi said to keep an eye on you during school hours and to make sure that we deliver you to your home security immediately after school," Goku reiterated their orders

"Urgh!" The blue-eyed teenager stomped her black heel hard on the pavement. "Deliver me! DELIVER ME! I am not some kind of package!" she huffed, folding her arms as she turned away from her bodyguards.

The three of them were standing in the middle of Roan Avenue, the main street leaving their school. Skyscrapers filled with expensive stores lined the street on both sides while people and cars bustled with activity around them. Bulma wanted to turn left and go to the Delish, the most popular ice cream store in town, but Goku and Krillen wanted to turn right and take her home.

"Sorry Bulma, but those are the rules. Your father would get real mad if we brought you home late. He'd worry that the bad guys got you," Goku tried to comfort the obviously pissed girl.

"It's for your own safety Bulma, let's go," Krillen tugged gently on her elbow.

Urgh! She was so sick of hearing that. 'It's for your own safety!' Did they think she didn't know that? Did they think she had forgotten the threats? Did they think that the haunting memory of the package with the expertly hand-crafted and beheaded Bulma doll had escaped her mind? Did they think she had forgotten the slimy, muggy hand that had tried to pull her into a moving van? Did they? Well, she hadn't!

She knew that someone was out to get her, that's why she'd let her father talk her into taking these two 'bodyguards' in the first place. It was a perfect arrangement really; they were both young enough, so they had enrolled in not only her school, but all her classes as well. They kept a close eye on her at all times, practically shadowing her without anyone being the wiser. They did everything together at school, so much so her other friends felt that she no longer had any room for them in her life. She felt so out of touch with everything and everyone and it just wasn't fair!

But it was always the same, as soon as school was over, they shipped her off to the so-called safety of her home. And she was plain sick of it! She couldn't even remember the last time she had gone out with some of her old friends for a lousy ice cream. Well, her own safety be damned, she was going to join Minnie and her slutty friends for ice cream and there was nothing these two could do to stop her!

Pulling out her cell phone, Bulma dialed in her home number and waited impatiently. "Dad!" she yelled into her phone once she heard him pick up. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, I just…urgh, Dad would you let me talk for just one second please!" She shook her head in annoyance. "This arrangement is not working out for me. These guys are supposed to be good, right?" She glared into the phone as if her father could see it. "Then they should be able to protect me no matter where I go!" she yelled. "I want to meet my friends for some ice cream at the Delish…Yes I know there's tons of ice cream at home…I know Mom makes the best ice cream in the world, but that's not the point…No, it's not! It's not a warzone Dad, it's right on Roan Avenue!" she yelled loud enough for the the surrounding people to turn their heads and stare at the blue-haired teenager for a few seconds.

"My poor ears," Goku mumbled

"I'll be home by six. Bye Dad." She cut the connection triumphantly. "Now, anymore objections?" she stood with her hands on her hips, daring the two boys to come up with another excuse.

"Well," Goku scratched his head. "Your dad is technically our boss, so…if it's fine by him, then it's fine by ME!" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Come on guys, let's see this famous Delish then!" he practically dragged the two down the street with him.

* * *

><p>Chichi sat mutely in the chair outside the flower shop. They were talking in hushed whispers, but her trained ears could pick up everything. Okay, so, maybe she was not cut out for this job.<p>

"Well, there is substantial water damage in the greenhouse."

"How did it happen?" Ox King asked puzzled.

"I have no idea. But it's flooded and that's where all the rare cacti are housed. That's bad, but I can fix that easily enough. The problem is the lady she assaulted," Tien answered as he rubbed his temples tiredly.

Chichi sighed, the woman had awoken with her face and arms blistering red from being sunburned. Chichi had conveniently hid behind some potted trees while Tien tried to calm the irate lady down. That had spelt the end of her duty in the gift shop. After calling Ox King to demand that he pick her up immediately, Tien had sent her away to the greenhouse where she wouldn't come into contact with another human being.

"Well, I'll pay for all the damage she's caused Tien. I'm sorry about all the trouble; I really thought she'd be ready for a job. I forget that she's spent the last eighteen years imprisoned behind the walls of an orphanage. I guess things were bad for her in there if her first instinct was so defensive. She must have no clue how to act around normal people. My poor girl," Ox King said with a saddened sigh. He had really thought this would be a good job for Chichi.

Chichi walked to the car having heard enough. She waited for Ox King to return. She just wanted the day to be over with so she could go home and have some more food.

"Well, that was an eventful first day honey," Ox King said once he had joined her in the car and they began driving home.. "Don't let it get you down. There's always tomorrow," he offered with a smile.

Chichi did not smile back, or say anything. Instead, she turned towards the window and watched the scenery that sped by.

* * *

><p>The room was dim. It was always dim. For some reason the old men thought dim lighting was the way to get work done. An idiotic notion to be sure as far as Vegeta was concerned— they may have been the heads of the respective syndicate families, but…how could anyone get any work done when they could barely see passed the ugly old face across the table from them?<p>

_These old men and their old ways_. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

Four of the old geezers sat on cream padded high chairs around an oval ribbon-striped mahogany table, while he and the other three sons sat scattered on the couches. There was an empty chair around the table indicating the absence of the fifth family the Colds. _Bastards think they're too good for this meeting_. Dead cigars lay in glass ashtrays while burning ones puffed out smoke from their mouths. This made the room smoky, adding to the visibility issues. Also, that smoker's stench was everywhere, making the room a headache for anyone that preferred cleaner living habits.

"Your boys are getting wild, Vegeta," one of the old men commented, taking a puff of his cigar. "It'd be appreciated if you got some control over them."

Vegeta kept quiet. The man wasn't talking to him. Those statements were meant for his father, Vegeta Sei the Third. It was unfortunate that the old man had decided to name him Vegeta Sei the Fourth. It made for very unpleasant confusion at times. It also didn't help that he and his father looked the same save for the elder's goatee and added height.

His father grumbled his reply. "If you didn't bring on weaklings, this wouldn't be a problem, Paragus. How about your boys quit acting like spineless women and show some balls. Perhaps then my men wouldn't step on them every time they run into each other in the streets."

Paragus looked affronted by that. But quite frankly Vegeta had to agree with his father. Paragus took any able body he could get his greedy old hands on regardless of expertise or experience. That ended up with him collecting street trash, the kind of guys that were all bluff and no buff. It was easy to wave a gun around and say you're tough; it was something entirely different to simply walk up to a man and slice his belly open.

Vegeta watched stoically as old Paragus glared at his father with his one good eye. The other one was sealed shut by an ugly-looking scar.

Rumor had it that he and his son Broly the man sitting to Vegeta's right had a knife-fight. Word was Broly tried stabbing at his old man's head, but barely missed. The scar across Paragus' eye was a result of that near miss. Add to that the goatee and hair style similar to the Sei family's and one began to wonder whom was trying to emulate whom.

"Just keep your guys out of my territory, alright? My boys are getting worked up about a possible takeover on your end. Ridiculous, I know, but they get edgy when agitated," said Paragus.

Vegeta almost snorted at that remark. Ridiculous was an understatement. Why his father would ever want Paragus' turf wasn't a mystery to anyone who gave it much thought. The territory was borderline useless.

"The same goes for you, Paragus," said Vegeta III, staring the other man down. "My men generally stay away from your territory. I can't say the same for your own men. As trigger-happy as they all are, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they took popshots at my men and didn't like it when they fired back."

"All of which is meaningless," another voice added.

Vegeta let his eyes drift over to the younger, more level-headed of the bunch. Toma was easily ten years younger than either his father or Paragus as his smoother, more handsome face showed. He even had a short ponytail despite his short-trimmed hair. But if Vegeta were to give anyone credit here, Toma's strict business-like demeanor was perhaps the only thing worthy of it. "We're not here to bicker about who is encroaching on who. There are more important matters to attend to."

Toma's son, Fubbu seated on a one seat towards the end of the room nodded. At fifteen, he was the youngest of the syndicate 'heirs', but the little bastard was already as ruthless if not as sadistic as the two Cold sons. If he didn't look so much like his father, one would have to wonder about a possible fence-jumper.

Vegeta's father gave Toma a stony look. It wasn't often he was reprimanded, but the old man didn't like it whenever it did rear its head. Instead of being petty though, his father agreed with Toma. "You are correct. Gentlemen, we have a slight problem that needs addressing. There's a trial going on that's in the middle of arguments concerning one of Nappa's fronts."

At this, Nappa, the only bald man here, did his best to remain calm keeping his eyes averted from his own father Mappa, who was seated on the main table with the rest of the family heads. See Nappa was the oldest of the so called 'heirs' and he was best known for his short tempter when things didn't go his way.

"The prosecutor is leveling several charges on the front," continued Toma, hard eyes falling on the empty chair before moving on to the rest of the 'family heads'. It clearly irritated him that Cold and his bunch were no-shows.

"So what?" Paragus spoke. "We have all the important officials on the payroll. This is inconsequential."

"Normally I would agree," Vegeta III acknowledged, "but the presiding judge is rouge. We haven't been able to pay him off ever since he took the bench. He's the main reason why the prosecution is even bothering with the case."

"Which means we have to get rid of him," Toma added. "But there's more. It's been revealed that the case revolves around a key witness, a cop. Somehow he infiltrated the store in question and found out its dirty little secrets."

Vegeta nearly slapped his face in disbelief. There was no way something like that should've happened and only a moron allowed it without retribution. Hell, Nappa should have had the guy dead the moment he revealed it if anything else.

For once, Vegeta found himself in agreement with Paragus. "You let an undercover cop scout one of your businesses?" the one-eyed man directed at Nappa. "How the hell did you let that one happen? Huh?"

"It's not my fault!" Nappa shouted back.

"Of course it's your fault," Vegeta's father interjected. "You're the one that hired those idiots that let the cop through. This is on your shoulders."

Nappa glared at him. "I already told you, I've dealt with the men responsible."

"Not soon enough I'm afraid. We wouldn't be here if you had."

"Don't forget the prosecutor," Mappa spoke up for the first time. Vegeta imagined that it was an embarrassment to him that his son was always getting them into sticky situations like this, but once a mess was made, it had to be cleaned and thoroughly at that. "This cop has family, right?" Nappa's father continued. "Kill the wife, mother, or father. We need to send a message to anyone that might dare pull such a stunt against us we'll fuck your loved ones, if you fuck with us."

A low murmur of agreement swept the the room as the old men and thier sons nodded in agreement to Mappa's words.

Vegeta just kept quiet.

"Might as well throw in the policeman's boss," Toma said. "Who normally gives the assignments for undercover operations?"

"That would be the head of the undercover unit," Vegeta answered, speaking for the first time since the commencement of the meeting. "All operative records are kept with him or her and kept secret."

"And that person would've given the undercover cop the objective of infiltrating the store," Toma finished. "Perhaps we can even turn this into a boon. Kill the head of undercover operations and get access to his files. We can learn who the other operatives are and keep tabs on them."

"We're making lemons out of lemonade, aren't we?" Nappa said with a grin.

The rest of the men at the table sweat-dropped at that. Seriously? Could he not even make basic metaphors without proving his idiocy? Someone needed to staple that bald idiot's lips shut to keep him quiet. Hell, even Nappa's own father grunted in distaste at his son's words.

"Vegeta can handle this," Vegeta the III volunteered, now that the decision was made. "This will be child's play for him."

Vegeta sent a dark glare at his father. This was the last thing he felt like 'handling'. His father knew that he was working his own projects to get out of this 'syndicate business he was plain sick of it. But any opportunity he got, the old man would constantly volunteer him for the dirty jobs. He already had plans in motion that would get him out of this rotten business, among other things. Yet, if this was to be his last contribution here, then so be it. "Fine, I'll do it," he grunted.

It was time to give his contacts at The Clan a call...

* * *

><p>Ox King was really worried now. It had been three weeks since Chichi's blunder at Tien's flower shop and frankly he was beginning to think that the girl was simply not employable. She had messed up in all subsequent jobs he'd secured for her after that one.<p>

So far she had been caught red-handed eating the produce and freshly baked bread at one of his friend's small grocery. She was also fired from Yajirobi's office after she made snow by hole-punching all his documents instead of filing them. Then she got canned from her job at PoPo's bar for getting drunk and beating a customer to a pulp. In her defense though, she had never had alcohol before and a bar was probably not the best place to have her working.

Either way, three weeks later and they had gotten nowhere. There was only one place left that he could call in a favor to get her a job. He sincerely hoped that this time it would work out, not just for him, but for Chichi's sake too. Despite being toneless in the way she carried herself, he could tell she was very frustrated with how everything was turning out.

Tomorrow she would be starting bright an early at this new job, so hopefully this time he wouldn't end up shelling out more funds to repair her unintentional damages.

* * *

><p>"I don't know Bulma, he looks kinda short to me," Goku offered his honest opinion as they walked out the school gates.<p>

"Shut-up Goku, he's not short! He's hot!" Bulma hit him with the weight of the glossy Forbus magazine she'd been gawking at.

She had just shown her two bodyguards the impressive cover. It was featuring a picture of Vegeta Sei, only heir to the infamous Sei empire. The article was practically congratulating the man for accumulating the most wealth within the shortest time to ever be recorded for someone his age. He looked so impressive in that suit with his deep, shrouded eyes cast downwards. Oh, what she wouldn't give to meet him face to face and unravel all his mysterious secrets!

"Don't judge a book by its cover Bulma, he may look all that, but word is…he's nothing but a creep," Krillen spat bitterly. He had his reasons for despising the Sei Family.

"Oh hush, all those vicious rumors about him and his family being affiliated with those syndicate criminal low-lives is nothing but slander. He talks about it right here, on page sixty-two." She flipped the magazine to the correct article and shoved it in Krillen's face.

"Right, because if it were true, he'd confess all the nitty- gritty about his criminal exploits openly on page sixty-three," Krillen responded sarcastically as he slapped the magazine away, irritated.

"Fine, be a sour puss. All I know is I've got to meet him. I'm gonna marry him one day you know," she said dreamily, hugging the magazine to her chest.

"I thought you were gonna marry our friend Yamcha," Goku chuckled. Bulma was so fickle with her affections; she changed prospective husbands as often as she changed hairstyles.

"Yes, well, Yamcha's cute. You two bums should have introduced me while I was still interested, but…that ship has sailed now," she sighed, bringing Vegeta's face up to hers. "I want him."

"I'm surrounded by fools," Krillen muttered. "First Goku drives us crazy for three weeks, whining about this bus girl that he'll never see again, and now you too? Pining after some spoiled rich boy? Give me a break."

"He is not spoiled!" the Capsule Corp. heiress shrieked. "If you read the article, you would know that at twenty-one he's turned some of his father's failing businesses into money-making cash cows. He is absolutely brilliant as am I. Once I graduate from high school, you wait and see, I'm gonna take the business world by storm too with my secret invention." She placed a soft kiss against Vegeta's glossy paper lips, folded the magazine and slipped it into her purse.

"Whatever," Krillen muttered beside her, his strides matching her noisy ones on the pavement.

"Yeah, whatever Krillen," she dismissed his sourness. "Anyway, Capsule Corp's throwing a massive cocktail party this weekend and I need you guys to attend."

"Err…we only cover you when you're off Capsule grounds, Bulma. Your home security is pretty tight, even at a party. You won't need us." Krillen pointed out.

"Of course I don't need you shadowing me at my own house." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not asking you guys to come as my bodyguards; I'm asking you guys to come as friends. I found out yesterday that Vegeta Sei is coming! Imagine! Just imagine! Out of the five hundred guests, my future husband is also coming!" She spun dreamily at that. "I have a plan on how I can meet him and sneak away with him for a while. That's why you guys have to come. I need your help in order to pull it off," she whispered conspiratorially

"What? We can't help you sneak away from security! Are you crazy? Or have you forgotten that there's a mad man out there, ready to snatch you up at the first opportunity?" Krillen stared at her in disbelief.

"Shut-up Krillen. Fine don't come then, you'll just infect the party with your sourpuss mood anyway. What about you Goku?" Bulma linked her arm in his, staring up at him hopefully. "You'll help me, won't you Goku?" she used her sweetest voice, the one usually reserved for manipulating her father.

"Um…" Goku scratched his head. "Gee Bulma, I'd love to help, but Krillen's right, you should have someone with you at all times, at least, until we catch this guy that's after you."

"Urgh!" She pulled out of his arm. "You guys are so anal!" She pressed forward, trying to leave them behind. But of course, they caught up to her in a few short strides.

"We're just trying to do our jobs Bulma, don't forget that," Krillen snipped.

He couldn't care less about the pipe dreams of his spoiled charge. He had other matters on his mind like that bastard Vegeta Sei.

The anger from the past burning him up, Krillen cursed when the familiar signage of Delish came into view. Great, this damn place again. "Do we have to go into Delish today? We've been coming in every day after school for three weeks straight. Can we go somewhere else please?"

"What? No way!" Goku widened his eyes in horror at the suggestion. "It's Tuesday today, and you know how I love the Tuesday special." He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Sorry sourpuss, but I'm with Goku," said Bulma. "I love the Tuesday special too. I should actually get my mom to learn that recipe," she added as she pushed the glass doors open, making her entry with Goku and a reluctant Krillen following behind.

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><p><em><strong>That's chapter 3 guys, let us know how you're liking the story so far. <strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Brought to you by Gue22 and Son Goshen**_

Chapter 4

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><p>"<em>Twenty-seven," the master counted as he swung back, "You are no one, I could wrap this whip around your neck and end your life here, and the world wouldn't even feel it. Always remember, you are insignificant, your own parents threw you away. You are plain and unimportant. You are no one and you need to accept it."<em>

* * *

><p>"This," the pastry chef fumed, "is NOT a cake. This…is a rock!" He yelled in Chichi's face as he slammed the cake hard on the counter.<p>

The solid mass of cooked batter didn't even tremble at the force, it was that hard.

"Cakes are meant to be soft. Cakes are meant to be moist. Cakes are meant to be sweet. Cakes are meant to be EDIBLE!" He yelled.

It was peak hour, and any minute now he would be expecting a flood of high-school students to come bustling through his doors for their after-school treats. The new girl had already messed up one batch of ice-cream earlier in the day, and now he comes to check on the Tuesday special, only to find that she'd botched that up as well!

His face dimpling in anger, he reached into the pocket of his apron and pulled out his asthma pump.

Chichi stood behind the counter with a white apron and a white square hat on her head, completely perplexed by the man's anger. "All I did was follow your recipe, it's not my fault if it's flawed." She stated blankly.

The pastry chef pulled hard at his pump and stared at the girl in disbelief. He was a patient man, a good culinary instructor, and a good and fair boss, but this girl…she was…she was…worse than a child! She was stubborn, short with her words and stiff like a cutting board. She didn't smile or ask questions. She just stared and nodded as if she's understood you, and then…BAM botched ice-cream, botched cake!

Slipping the blue pump back into his pocket, he narrowed his eyes challengingly. "Taste some," he spat at her, "Taste it, and tell me again that you followed the recipe I showed you yesterday."

Chichi stared at her cakes, mentally comparing them to the ones he'd shown her how to make a few days before. Sure, they didn't look the same, but hey, it wasn't her fault. With a cake cutter she made a small slice by pushing extra long and hard in order to get the blade through the burnt and tough texture. She shoved the whole piece into her mouth and cringed.

There were no words to describe how horrible it was.

She spat it out onto a serviette immediately, folding it and chucking it into the trash-can. She would take the bland and tasteless food of The Clan over this any day. The chef was right, it was inedible.

Satisfied with her reaction, the pastry chef went on with his lecture. "If you had followed my recipe, then these…" He pointed at the array of the botched cakes, "would not have eggshells sticking out of them."

"The recipe should have specified that only the insides of an egg should be used, and that the shells should be discarded." Chichi defended herself.

"It doesn't have to! It's only logical!" He screamed, unable to take much more of this girl. "Are you gonna stand there and say that the recipe didn't specify to use sugar instead of salt?" He stared her down.

Chichi shrugged, "The containers were not labeled, I saw white grains and thought it was sugar."

"What kind of fool doesn't know the difference between salt and sugar grains?" The more he talked with this girl, the more he suspected he was going to need to reach into his pocket to pull out his pump for a second time.

"Look, I followed the recipe." She said stubbornly. "I put all the ingredients in their correct measurements in the big mixer, and put it on maximum to make things move faster. Then I put the sticky batter into greased tins and baked them. Simple."

Not for the first time, the pastry chef stared at the girl in absolute shock. She did what? "Y-you….y-you put everything in the mixer, all at once?" He stammered.

"Yes, to save time. That whole 'one at a time' thing seemed rather inefficient. If I save half an hour on each recipe, we could make twice the number of cakes." She said logically.

"To…save…time..." He repeated her words in disbelief. "To save time?" He raised his voice, "Are you crazy? You don't rush a cake. You mix the butter and sugar thoroughly until the mixture is light and creamy like I showed you. Otherwise your cake will be dry! You don't mix flour in with a mixer, you fold it in slowly, otherwise the molecules bind too tightly and you end up with a rock, not a cake. You don't just mix everything in all at the same time, especially NOT at maximum." he spat in disgust.

This girl had just raped his perfect recipe, busted his expensive mixer, and she didn't even show any remorse.

"Are you going to fire me now?" She asked evenly, hardly betraying her concern over the matter.

She didn't really care for this job, she didn't exactly need the paycheck. What she did need was her guardian's approval. She needed to show Ox King that she was capable of standing on her own two feet, capable of keeping a job, capable of interacting within the norms of society.

Failure to integrate and blend in was a one way ticket back to The Clan, and that thought…chilled her.

"Look Chichi," The pastry chef said as he took a deep replenishing breath. "I'm sure you're not a bad girl, but you've already cost me a lot of money today. First you botched up the first batch of ice-cream, then you overexerted the mixer and broke its motor. You've completely ruined the Tuesday special," he took in another deep breath, "I'll have very little sales today." He gritted his teeth at the thought.

Ox King was his friend, but someone had to pay for all this wastage. "I have no choice but to fir-"

"Hey Mr. Kuks! Is this today's special? It looks yummy!" A chirpy voice cut him short.

Chichi and the pastry chef turned their necks and spied a cheerful face from under a mess of wild and spiky dark hair.

Chichi's eyes widened, it was…him. The boy from the bus!

She didn't know what it was, but her palms suddenly felt muggy and moist. There was something about seeing him again that made her heart beat irregularly. He wasn't even doing anything extraordinary; he was merely peeking at them with an air of elevated enthusiasm from the other side of the counter.

Mr Kuku eyed his regulars. This group of kids had been coming in everyday after school for a few weeks now. He noted with dismay that the ever cheerful Goku's companions did not seem to share his enthusiasm while peering at the egg-shells protruding out of the 'special'. He could hardly blame them, it was a huge disappointment for him too. They were the same group as always: Bulma, the ever flirtatious blue-eyed, blue-haired beauty and the rather short and grumpy Krilin.

He cursed Ox King for bringing such a useless, stubborn girl. He cursed the new girl for bringing out the cakes to the front; now his regular customers had laid eyes on the abominations. Lastly, he cursed himself for being so involved in this reprimand that he hadn't even heard the group of teens enter. He should have taken Chichi out back to the kitchen for this reprimand for now the teens had witnessed the angry side of him.

"Hey kids, good to see you guys."

"Hey Mr Kuks!" They greeted, Goku leading with an exaggerated air of excitement around him.

"Sorry about these. Don't even give them a second look." He pulled out a white cloth and began to cover the cakes. "Why don't you get a table, I'll have a waitress attend to you as soon as I've dealt with something." He cast dark eyes at the new girl. He wanted her out of his shop and now.

Goku saw the look. Oh boy.

Upon entering the Delish, he'd tripped on Krilin's leg and fallen over from shock from what his eyes had spied - the girl from the bus!

The girl he had been dying to see for the last three weeks - Chichi!

He had hardly believed his eyes. He'd felt a strange sensation in his stomach as Krilin pulled him up from the floor, and for a full minute, he didn't really see or hear anything else. He was transfixed by the sight of her. Three weeks overdue, but he'd found her.

It was only after Bulma had made a comment about how she hated walking in on confrontations, that he'd picked up on the tone of the conversation between her and Mr. Kuku. Listening in, he'd immediately realized that the girl from the bus was on the verge of getting fired. He'd also sensed her emotions; and even though she didn't display them on her face, she definitely didn't want that to happen.

"So whaddaya say Mr. Kuks, how about that special?"

"Sadly, the Tuesday special is off the menu today." The pastry chef went to say.

"Aw, but we just saw it. Why did you cover it up? You know that's why we came, come on Mr Kuks, let us try some." He pouted, his eyes lingering on the cloth that had just covered up the cakes.

"Err…those aren't the typical Tuesday specials, sorry Goku, there's always next week though." The chef pastry straightened the cloth to fully conceal the cakes. He wondered how many of his regulars were going to be disappointed today.

"But I've already seen them, they looked so good, I must try some!" he insisted.

"Seriously, Goku, I-"

Mr Kuku started to say, but Goku pulled a whole cake from underneath the cloth. He didn't bother with the formalities of slicing through it; he simply fisted a handful of the stuff and shoved it into his mouth.

Chichi and her boss immediately cringed; they both knew how horrible the taste was.

"Mnn…" Goku chewed through the horrible taste, shocking the duo by shoving another fist full into his mouth. "Here Krilin, try some," he shoved some into the unsuspecting Krilin's mouth.

Krilin gagged, but Goku kept his hand over his mouth, forcing him to swallow. "So tasty, right buddy?"

Chichi stared at him in disbelief, abandoning the serviette she was reaching to give to him for the inevitable moment of when he would spit it out. But the boy from the bus showed no signs of it, he devoured the full cake in minutes. What was he up to?

"A bit on the salty side, but it's pretty good. We'll take the rest, won't we guys?"

Goku wiped his mouth and rested his arms on Bulma and Krilin's shoulders, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Poor Krilin was still trying to stop himself from emptying the contents of his stomach on to the floor. He was in no condition to argue.

"Err…I don't know Goku, they look kinda-" Bulma began with a frown, but Goku immediately interrupted her.

"They look great! They taste even better. Please pack all ten cakes for us Mr. Kuks." He chirped.

"You're joking, right?" The chef stared at him in disbelief.

"Nope. No joke. My friend Bulma _Briefs_ here is buying." He pushed Bulma to the front.

It was a shot in the dark mentioning her surname, but Master Roshi had often said that Bulma's family name always impressed people because her father had lots of money. Personally he didn't get it since Dr Briefs had a real low Ki; but the look on Mr Kuku's face as he'd said 'Briefs' was a testament to Master Roshi's claims.

The Pastry Chef looked impressed and afraid all at once.

Great! Her surname was working!

"B-Bulma…B-Bulma Briefs." Mr Kuku almost shook when he whispered her name.

Sure, his Delish was on Roan Ave, and so his clientele was mostly from the wealthy folks of West City, but even so, to think that a girl from one of the wealthiest families in the world, had been coming here for the last three weeks, with him never being the wiser…goodness! He could almost feel an asthma attack of coming on.

"Say, Bulma," Goku proceeded to ride the wave. "That cocktail thing your Mom is throwing this weekend, I say you order food from this place, it will help her out a lot."

"Err…Goku, I really don't think-"

"Aw come on Bulma, didn't you tell us that she's always complaining about how you don't take any interest in these things, and how you never help her organize and all that. She's expecting five hundred guests right?"

"Goku, over here, now!" Bulma dragged him away. "Have you gone mad?" She scolded him in a hushed whisper. "I didn't even taste that stuff but it looked horrible, Krilin looks like he's about to die from eating it, so what's gotten into you?"

"That's her, that's Chichi!" He whispered back.

"Huh?" Bulma blinked. "The girl from the bus?" Bulma turned her head to stare at the stiff looking girl with the square hat. _That_ was the girl Goku'd been talking non-stop about for the last three weeks? She didn't look all that to her.

"Yes! That's her. Can you believe it? I found her!"

Being the daughter of a genius, not to mention a genius herself, Bulma didn't need any further explanation. She knew the girl was on the verge of getting fired, so she knew what Goku was up to."Fine, I'll bite. But you owe me big time for this Goku, any favor I ask, promise?" She glared, her purse clutched under her arm, her hands on her hips.

"I promise, I promise!" Goku practically hopped up and down.

"I mean it Goku, any favor, no excuses. Give me your word."

"You have my word Bulma, any favor at all, and it's yours." He said hurriedly.

"Good." Bulma smiled, she knew exactly what favor she was going to ask of him too. She knew that her bodyguard would never, ever go back on his word, so Vegeta was pretty much hers.

Smiling, she pulled out her wallet, turned around, clanking her heels noisily back in the direction of the chef and his botched up cakes.

She placed her platinum card on the table, "We'll take all the cakes, and make a deposit for an order of enough croquembouches for five-hundred guests." She slid the card forward with a straight face. "The cocktail party is this Friday night. You reckon you have enough time to fulfil that order?" She gave the chef her business face.

"Absolutely Miss Briefs! It would be my pleasure." Mr Kuku clasped his hands excitedly. He would make the most elaborate croquembouche ever. Their guests would never forget it, or his name.

This was going to be great! His Delish was going to be the talk of the rich and snooty for eons to come. The orders would start piling in, he couldn't wait!

"Great then," Bulma beamed. "Mom will be excited too. Once I tell her that our good friend Chichi is working here at the Delish, you'll be getting sick of filling orders for her in no time at all. Mom just loves doing business with friends." She delivered the punch line.

Mr Kuku immediately paled. Good…friend…Chichi?

"Okay, we'll take a table in the corner and order some ice-creams then." Bulma smiled, "Say, Chichi, when you get a break from work, come sit with us for a minute and catch up will ya?" She winked at the girl and steered Goku and Krilin to their regular table at the corner.

"Bye Chi!" Goku grinned, "Happy baking! We'll save an ice-cream for you on your break." He waved happily, following behind Bulma and Krilin to a table.

Chichi was still just…staring.

She still couldn't believe it. That boy from the bus had something seriously wrong with him. How could he have eaten that disgusting cake? How could he have bought all those disgusting cakes? Was he missing something in the head?

"Well Chichi, looks like your friend just saved you from getting fired." The pastry chef turned to her sternly. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"My w-what?" she stammered. She knew what a boyfriend was, she had read all about human social and romantic interaction. But that sort of thing was strictly forbidden in The Clan. They were allowed to engage in casual bouts of sex to release tension if they so desired, or to use it to accomplish a kill, but …any long-term or emotional attachments were taboo.

She was no one, not worthy to ever have a boyfriend. Her boss was sorely mistaken in his assumption.

"I'll take that as a no then." Mr Kuku grabbed Bulma's credit-card from the table. He was eager to get the deposit for the large order in before the young girl changed her mind. "Either way, you get to keep your job so…you owe him one." He smoothed his hands down his apron. "Right, then. Let's pack these cakes up in boxes and get to work." He instructed.

Chichi didn't move though, her mind was still hung on her boss' words. I owe him one? As in I'm indebted to him?

So that's what he was doing then, saving her job by pretending to enjoy her horrible cakes? Sure, she was glad that she didn't get fired, not so much for her own sake as for that of the Ox King's. She would hate to see the familiar look of disappointment and discouragement on his face when she announced yet another failed job. Still, she had no room in her life to 'owe people one'.

Ignoring her boss's orders, she simply turned around and followed the teenagers to the table.

She wanted to have a word with that boy. She had to get out of his debt immediately.

"Goku," she called after him.

The dark haired teen turned around to find ChiChi standing right behind him. Instead of gratitude or happiness, she wore a smooth mask of nonchalance. It was her eyes that betrayed the panicked emotion that lay underneath.

"Hiya! How's your job going?" He replied cheerfully.

Chichi scowled in response. "I can't be in your debt," she said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Huh? Goku tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? What debt?"

Her scowl deepened as she jabbed a finger at his chest. "What other? The entire you-saving-me-from-getting-fired-from-another-job debt." She exclaimed.

"Ohhh, that." His big goofy grin returned. Of course he remembered that. He would never forget chewing through and swallowing that disgusting piece of… what exactly was it supposed to be? "That was nothing." He waved it off. "Wait, another job? You got fired before?"

Chi-Chi bit her lip; her failures were none of his business. "Don't change the subject." She snipped and straightened her shoulders. "And no, saving my job is not nothing. It's a really big something."

"Nuh, it's not," he said, shaking his head.

"Yes it is!" She insisted, "It's a big deal!"

"Nuh." He simply dismissed her vehement insistence.

"YES IT IS!" She yelled, "I will NOT be indebted to you. There has to be a way for me to repay!"

Goku took a step backwards with a nervous chuckle. "Hey, now, don't get angry, okay?" He held up his hands. "We're all friends here," he played it light, laughing nervously.

The strangely furious expression on her face was still in place as she took a threatening step towards him. "Friends? Says who?"

"Says me," he said, as he stuck out his tongue impishly.

Normally, Chichi would've slapped a fellow 'orphan' if they did that. It was playful and disrespectful; those kind of jibes had no place in the strict environment cultivated by The Clan.

Her hand was practically twitching with the need to connect with his cheek.

However, something stopped her from doing so. A very confused thought crossed her mind. This boy, he looked very… attractive.

"_When you come of age, should the body desire it, you may take a lover and release the stress. However, all sexual interactions are to be one time encounters only. Your loyalty lies only with The Clan, relationships are strictly forbidden._

No! She did not just think that. This boy in front of her was certainly not attractive, he was just someone who'd helped her. He was just another nobody.

Goku watched her watch him with a seemingly curious and disapproving look. Maybe he shouldn't have done that thing with his tongue; she didn't seem to like it.

"Ummmm…" He didn't really know what to say. He wanted them to be friends, but everything he said or did, just seemed to rub her the wrong way.

Chichi dismissed all the conflicting thoughts about her possible attraction to him and shook her head like a dog shaking off water after a bath. She glared at him, preparing to tell him off in no uncertain terms when Bulma decided to butt in.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Bulma threw up her hands in exasperation. Goku was getting nowhere fast. "If you really want to pay Goku back for saving your job, then…you'll be his date this weekend for the cocktail party!"

"Bulma! I didn't do it for repayment. She doesn't owe me anything!" Goku insisted. He had never helped anyone with an ulterior motive, even the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. He'd just wanted to help her, that's all.

"She owes you big time Goku, and she knows it." Bulma insisted, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Then I accept. I will be his date for this cocktail party." Chichi said matter of factly. She knew what a 'date' was. She had had to study about the rituals of human courtship. She could do this 'date' thing. It would be quick and harmless; then she would be out of his debt and never have to think about him again.

"Great!" Bulma beamed

"Umm…" Goku scratched his head. He didn't know about all that dating stuff. He just wanted to spend some time with Chichi, that's all.

"Goku, you can have my home number." Chichi reached into the giant pocket of her apron and pulled out a pen. "You can call me with the details." She scribbled on one of the serviettes from their table.

Goku perked up, Yamcha always said that getting a girl's number was pretty hard. Chichi had to like him for sure if she was giving him hers! Now they could be friends!

"Thanks!" He exclaimed. "I'll call you for sure, we have a phone at Master…um…I mean at Grandpa Roshi's!"

Bulma rolled her eyes at her bodyguard's childish antics, sometime she wondered if the boy was fully there in the head.

"Well, I have work to do." Chichi said stoically, and promptly turned around to get back to the kitchen.

"You think we can order now," Krilin said irritably. He had been sitting down on the table waiting for the whole spectacle to be over.

"Let's!" Goku grabbed the serviette with Chichi's number and pocketed it as he happily slid into his seat.

"Now that that's out of the way," Bulma slid into her seat next to Krilin, "I guess it's time for me to call in the favour you owe me for buying all those disgusting specials Goku." She grinned at the spiky haired teen.

"Yes?" Goku eyed her nervously, he hoped she wouldn't drag him along on a shopping trip or something.

"I want you and Chichi to help me sneak off with Vegeta at the party."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?" His yell attracted the attention of all other customers at the Delish. "I mean, you know I can't do that Bulma," he said a bit more quietly.

Bulma shrugged, casting her eyes to a menu. "Sure, I understand, even dad always goes back on his promises, It was silly of me to think that you'd keep your word."

She held back a smile as she waited for it…

"I never go back on my word! Come on Bulma, that's not a very fair request. There's a crazy guy out there who wants to hurt you, I can't help you sneak away from your home security guys. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." Goku pouted.

"That's why you'll be there Goku, obviously you'll be in the vicinity should anything go wrong. Or are you saying that protecting me away from my security guys is too much of a challenge for you?"

"Hey! I can protect you anywhere, just…don't wanna take any unnecessary chances."

"Fine, go back on your word; I'll just go back on mine. I'll cancel my payment for the specials and the order for the party." She moved to slip out of her chair.

"Hey! That's called blackmailing!" He pouted and pulled the puppy eyes.

Bulma giggled. "Sorry, but you owe me one Goku."

"Fine, fine," he sighed, "just as long as the two of us don't get into any trouble."

"Yay!" she squealed happily. And more people turned to stare at them.

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><p><em>"You dare to lose your temper in this Temple? Let me remind you one last time. Your opinion doesn't matter; your feelings don't matter. You are no one and you will not be ruled by your temper," the master chastised as the long whip hissed in the air.<em>

Chichi sighed, closing her eyes as the cold water splashed on her face. How? How could she have forgotten that lesson so quickly? Just a small disagreement with the boy from the bus and she'd…she'd reverted back to voicing her opinions, her preferences, her…temper.

Tentatively, she ran her hand along her back, tracing the remnants of the old wounds – she shivered, closing her eyes.

This boy was trouble. She'd lost her temper momentarily whilst arguing with him out there and she'd raised her voice!

"That can never happen again." She warned the girl in the mirror. With wet hands she grabbed her square hat and plopped it on her head. "That must not happen again."

With that, she walked out of the bathroom and headed back to the kitchen.

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><p><em><strong>That's the chapter. Let us know how the story is coming along.<strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Brought to you by Son Goshen, Joy's Canvas and Gue22**

…

"So, how was your day Chichi?" Ox King enquired as he sliced into his steak.

Chichi had noticed that he liked chopping it into little pieces before shoving them into his mouth. He wasn't the most graceful of eaters and as a testament to this, a speck of barbeque sauce was visible on his large shirt.

Chichi was busy devouring all her food as usual, savoring all the different tastes that attacked her taste buds. It was still fascinating how it was possible to have all the different flavors come together to create a new explosive one. Still, even with all that going on in her mouth, her training still allowed her to follow what her 'father' was saying. She chewed quickly and swallowed before she spoke.

"My day was-" she grabbed her napkin and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. "My day was interesting."

Ox King continued staring at her, motioning for her to go on as he helped himself to some more food.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. What more was she supposed to say? Lowering her eyes, she helped herself to a loaf of garlic bread instead.

"Well?" the Ox King prompted. "Was it the job that was particularly interesting, or did you meet a cute guy?"

_C-Cute…guy?_

Chichi nearly choked on the bread in her mouth. _Humph!_ She had no desire nor need for such a distraction. But of course, Ox King wouldn't know of it. She regarded him coolly as he chuckled at whatever it was that he had found amusing in his last sentence. Clearly he enjoyed amusing himself.

"I have been invited to a party," she informed him coolly.

"Ahh…" nodded the large man. "Would this be this big catering job for Bulma Briefs' cocktail party? Kuku was very excited about the contract."

"Yes," she went back to eating. It was clear to her that her boss and her new 'father' talked a _lot_.

Ox King did not speak for a while, which Chichi was glad for, she desired only to enjoy her meal in peace. But that peace were quickly shattered.

"This is strictly business, right?" his boisterous voice boomed. "Kuku didn't cross the line and ask you out on a date or something, did he?"

She noted how his tone had dropped into disapproval. She knew exactly what he was implying of course, well sort of… kind of. In an abstract and academic perspective only. And of course, the notion was preposterous. Chef Kuku? Inviting her out on a date? As if! The man could barely stomach her. "Neither. I've been invited by a customer; his name is Goku." she said between bites.

Ox King's eyes widened considerably, but Chichi chose to ignore them. She could feel him watching her as she continued to eat.

He didn't speak for a while, but the furrows on his face were a clear indication that something was up.

"Ummm, Chi-Chi," she detected a nervous undertone to his voice, "be careful, okay?"

Chichi looked up from her plate, confused. "Be careful? What do you mean father?" she used the term he'd been nagging her to use for the last three weeks – it always seemed to please him.

To her question, Ox King nodded awkwardly. "Well, yes." he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Sometimes, sometimes nice girls get… taken advantage of by boys." His cheeks turned tomato red.

Chi-Chi didn't get it. "What do you mean by 'taken advantage of?'" How could any guy take advantage of her? She was incredibly skilled and deadly. But then again, her 'father' didn't know that.

The large man dipped his head in embarrassment. "Like…you know…when boys touch you."

"Touch you?" she remarked thoughtfully. Could it be in some kind of martial arts technique, she wondered. Why was the man speaking in such riddles?

"Like…inappropriately."

"And why would they want to do that?" In her studies, one of the tactics they'd been taught was seduction, could he be referring to that?

"You know, when they think you look pretty… and…" he was getting more and more flustered she observed. "I'll just say like… if this boy gave you a lot of drinks and you started to feel dizzy or unable to walk or talk properly, and he wanted to take you home…"

She stared.

"Ummm… like… just, if he starts touching you in places you don't want, don't let him. Just… just don't have sex with the boy!" he bellowed.

She regarded his outburst with a bit of confusion. Why was he turning so red? And why was he fanning himself so much, it wasn't that hot at the breakfast table.

Chewing, she mulled over his outburst. Have sex with Goku, her? Another preposterous notion. Why on earth would she have sex with Goku? Would it somehow assist with her mission? No, she didn't see how. And she was certainly not in heat, so why would she? Her 'father' was clearly confused.

"Well, dinner was delicious. I will retire to my room," she announced, standing up. "Maybe I can convince Chef Kuku to make some of Rosa's bread at the Delish, I am sure it would meet with popularity."

Having said her peace, she left for the quiet of her room.

…

Vegeta Sei IV was not enjoying himself. Knowing where the beauty in front of him had been, he found no gratification in threading his fingers through her beautiful hair on this occasion. Pity, because Marron really had beautiful hair, and after the shitty day he'd had, the least he deserved was some mindless gratification.

He sighed. His damn pride again. His pride refused to allow this dalliance of theirs to continue, not now that he knew that she'd been with Brolly first.

"Damnation woman," he snatched his fingers back from her silky blue locks like they had been stung, turning away from her.

"What's eating you?" blue eyes regarded him coolly from beneath a veil of blue tresses. They were always like this - cool, clear…beautiful.

"None of your business," he snapped.

She was amused at his expense, that much was clear to him, damn woman.

"So," she spoke casually. "My little dalliance with Brolly is an issue after all," she chuckled. "It's my just reward for playing with boys."

It irritated him that she had taken to calling him a 'boy', like he was beneath her, but it irritated him even more that she'd guessed the reason behind his sour mood correctly. "Shut up and let yourself out Marron, I have no further use for you."

"So it would seem," she remarked, unaffected as always. With the grace of a courtesan, she slipped past him and headed towards the door. "I did warn you," she turned to him before she left. "You have only yourself to blame for getting attached... it's been fun."

And then she was out the door.

Vegeta gritted his teeth. This had nothing to do with attachment. He didn't give a damn about her, not at all, even if she was of the rare breed of blue and oceanic beauty that never failed to knock him on his ass. It's not as if there was a shortage of beautiful women that wanted to bed him, there was not. There was, in fact, a long list of them.

Pity his tastes had never quite outgrown their fondness for blasted baby-blue. For never was there a more accurate stereotype – from when he was a boy Vegeta had always, always hated the soft and girly color of pink, preferring to align himself, whether it be toy or clothing, with all that was cool, calm and collected blue. That damn fetish had stuck with him through and through, and now it was nothing but a handicap where women were concerned.

It was time to rid himself of this obsession. No more blue-eyed, blue-haired bimbos. Especially none that had lain with that parasite Brolly or any of the other so called 'heirs'.

Well, as with all experiences at least this little episode had taught him a little something about himself. He was far more selfish and territorial when it came to women than he'd given himself credit for.

No matter, if he couldn't play, then he might as well work. There was some dirty business that his idiot of a father had volunteered him for, and now was as good a time as any to make the arrangements.

…

The end of her first week at the Delish saw Chichi sniffing at the perfect cake. She was incredibly pleased with the scent that wafted to her nostrils. It had taken her hours to create this delicacy and the result was well worth it.

It had been three days since she'd botched up the Tuesday special but Chef Kuku had finally given her leeway by assigning her a solo project. He had gone to great lengths to detail every little step, taking nothing for granted. And if there was one thing Chichi could do, it was follow instructions to a tee, especially if those instructions had 'terminate' at the end of them.

"I must say this is a huge improvement from Tuesday's cakes," exclaimed the pastry chef as he eyed the sponge cake in front of him. He took a large frosting knife and began to dress the naked sponge in pink. Nicely smothered, he carefully wrote 'Congratulations' on it.

"What do you say we try it?" he smiled at her enthusiastically.

With a large knife, chef Kuku cut out six equal slices and placed them on different plates. He extended one to Chichi and placed a small dessert fork on the side.

Chichi eyed the flaky cake before glancing at her boss curiously. She kept her eye on his movements as he stabbed at his own piece and placed it in his mouth. Initially, he wore an uneasy frown, but with each chew, that frown grew into a joyous smile.

"Amazing!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe how rich it is. With a little more practice it's bound to rival even my own! Have you been practicing since your last shift?" He enquired excitedly.

"No," she replied coolly, dark orbs shifting back to her own plate. Without any further hesitation, she stabbed at her piece and shoveled it into her mouth.

A multitude of pleasurable flavours exploded into every corner her mouth. The taste was almost heavenly... closing her eyes, she greedily polished the remainder. How was a nobody like her ever able to create something so delectable with her bare hands? This cake was definitely worthy of… something.

Chef Kuku laughed, she supposed she looked as foolish as she felt. No matter, he wouldn't be able to say she was useless now would he?

Watching him take another bite of her cake, she found that she could not help but feel awash with more pleasure and pride. She was aware that such feelings were foolish, but she felt them surfacing nonetheless. Chef Kuku did not restrain himself, he began to tackle another piece.

"You have some hidden talents there Chichi, I'm sure there's a natural culinary gift somewhere inside you. With a little more exposure, I'm sure I will find myself in Ox's debt for bringing me you to me."

The praise should have rolled off of her, but some part of her… basked in it. It just felt so... good.

"Well since I can trust you with making the specials," he beamed. "How about you get to it? We need five dozen before lunch and that's only an hour away.

Watching him head off, she allowed her shoulders to drop in relief. Finally, she had earned her keep. Ox King would no longer have to settle all her blunders with large sums of his own money. He would have no cause to be displeased with her; it was important to remain in his good graces, for if she were to fall out of favour with him…she could very well find herself back at The Clan. Her ability to fit into mainstream society would definitely be scrutinized, and if found lacking…

She shuddered.

No. She simply wouldn't allow it to happen. The ability to fit in was a required skill all on its own, and she had every intention of mastering it.

As she placed her empty plate into the sink she couldn't help but remember the reason she'd gained the opportunity to prove herself to Chef Kuku in the first place - Goku. That wild haired boy had managed to save her job and had possibly secured her freedom from The Clan and still she couldn't understand why he'd done it.

She hadn't done anything for him, and yet he had been willing to go out on a limb for her. She had heard about male attraction and how men in the world would go to any lengths for a beautiful woman, but that couldn't be the reason. She was far from beautiful, she was plain at best – a nobody.

Shaking off the irrelevant thoughts, she decided it'd be best to tackle the task at hand.

…

"For the last time Bulma, I'm not going to attend that stupid party!" Krilin yelled.

"Okay! Okay! Jeez! No need to yell Grumpy, I get it." Bulma snapped right back at him. "I just thought Goku could use some moral support that's all. You know how much he's looking forward to spending time with his Chichi. Right Goku?"

"Uh…heheh…well yeah, kinda," said Goku, sheepishly scratching his head. "But Krillin doesn't have to come if he doesn't wanna."

"Whatever," muttered Krilin. "Anyway, you're in the hands of Capsule's Home Security now, time for Goku and I to get lost."

"Aww, Krilin, but Bulma's mom hasn't even given us snacks yet!"

"You know what Goku, you can stay if you want. I'm out." he said grumpily, shoving his hands in his pockets more than just a little violently as he headed out.

"Jeez Krilin! What's the big rush?" she regarded him with something akin to exasperation.

He sighed, she was right be exasperated with the way he had been acting lately. He hadn't been himself since she'd made her romantic intentions about that bastard Vegeta Sei known. The best he could do was remove himself from her presence until the disquiet storm raging inside him quelled. Hopefully her grand plan to seduce the bastard tomorrow night would fail, and then things could get back to normal by the time he re-assumed duty on Monday.

"No particular rush," he said more calmly. "Thought we'd get out of your hair so you could start thinking about what to wear for tomorrow and so on. I doubt Sei will be impressed by any old garb you know?"

"Krilin, you're right!" she screeched. "You're right! I haven't finalized my plans for tomorrow at all. I will not be caught unprepared!"

"See?"

"Does this mean we're leaving?" Goku didn't look too happy about the prospect.

"Out!" Bulma shoved them out with vigour, just as Krillin had known she would.

Now he could get Goku home. It was worth one more shot to talk him out of this promise he'd made to Bulma.

…

She washed her hands, cleansing them off sticky batter before she stripped out of her apron and hat. The kitchen was spotless after having have had her way with it, with only the lingering smells of freshly baked goodness remaining.

She liked this smell she decided. If Ox King permitted, she might even venture into Rosa's kitchen at home and try out a few ideas. Now that she'd figured this whole baking thing out, she found it rather… relaxing. Not a bad way to kill time.

Satisfied that all was in order, she stepped outside to await Ox King. Sure enough, the little hover car was already out front.

"Hi, Sweetie!" the large man called out with his loud voice.

She only nodded, as she opened the door and took a seat. He seemed to find a new endearment for her every day. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was pleased with her; within the little time that she'd stayed in his house she had made it her business to study the large man.

"Kuku just called me with the news," he exclaimed. "I'm very excited that you were able to fit in here, sometimes it takes a few tries before one can find the right place. I'm just happy you did!"

It irritated her that his enthusiasm was starting to filter into her. She would have to be careful whilst in his presence. "He made a request," she started. "That I come in earlier from now on. He wishes to train me properly. Will you permit me?"

She must have said something wrong because the large man's face immediately fell. Spirits she didn't even know she was holding in, promptly sank. So, he wouldn't allow her this small pleasure.

"It is not a question of whether or not I permit it Chichi, it is a question of whether or not you want to. If it will make you happy, then you should seize this opportunity okay?"

_Happy?_ He seemed rather fond of saying that to her, she found the notion rather peculiar.

She had nothing to say to that, so she quietly nodded as she settled herself in the car. She felt rather like a blob of apple-cranberry stuffing sitting in the small space that was overfilled by the large man.

"Say you got a letter today in the mail, it's in the glove compartment," Ox King informed her happily as he expertly pulled them up into the air, the hover car cruising at a leisurely pace.

_Ah_. She thought dully. She knew exactly what it would be. She opened the small compartment and pulled out a white inconspicuous envelope.

It would be her first mission on the outside.

It didn't take long to reach the mansion, and when in the safety of her large room, she carefully opened the package.

Inside was a picture of a man with a dull face and blue eyes. Her trained eyes scanned over his face dispassionately. He didn't look like much, but his face was already committed to her memory. She turned the picture around and memorized the instructions scribbled in an alphabet and language only those raised by The Clan would recognize.

She pulled out one other piece of paper – confirmation of payment made to the account she now held under the name 'Chichi Mau'. It was the standard cut promised for each job – twenty thousand Zeni. She didn't know, nor have any desire to know how much The Clan kept for themselves.

Satisfied that everything was in order she took her sweet time tearing up the envelope, the photograph and the payment transcript into tiny little pieces, not unlike the crumbly flakes of pastry she had worked with that morning. Practically shredded, she scooped it all up and flushed everything down the toilet.

This would be an easy one since it required no cover ups. The client did not want it to look like an accident. They wanted it to look like exactly what it was – cold blooded murder garnished with a calling card.

There was only one slight problem - how could she be discreet when she would be fulfilling her debt to Goku on the same night?

…


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

_Brought to you by Mikey Hansen, Vira626, Let's Random, Kakarot Son and Gue22_

* * *

><p>Mrs Briefs and her hoard of servants had outdone themselves as usual. The garden and its plentiful green inhabitants were outfitted elegantly around a large flowing fountain that stood out as the center piece of the evening's theme. The flow of the water gently whooshed and sparkled, creating an intimate and serene ambiance. Rustic cast-iron furniture was adorned with soft colorful cushions and drapes, and all around the vicinity lush trees boasted their chivalry by showing off the lanterns hanging off their branches.<p>

Guests started arriving right on time, except for Son Goku who'd surprised Bulma by arriving way too early for her comfort levels. One by one the rich, the elegant and the successful began to enter with Bulma standing by her mother's side, cordially and dutifully greeting them. Knowing that her future husband was attending this gathering had her spirits so high, she was practically beaming at everyone. Well, all with the exception of her bodyguard. She couldn't quite trust him in this elegant setting. But glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she had to admit that he painted a rather dashing picture.

She frowned—almost dashing she corrected when she noted how fidgety he seemed to be in the formal clothes. He had complained tirelessly about having to wear the bowtie that Bulma had forced on him, but if he was going to pass himself off as a respectable guest, he had to look the part, right?

When the first wave of guests passed, Bulma pouted. Where was he? Where was Vegeta Sei? She'd dolled herself up extra tonight just to catch his eye and the bastard hadn't even showed up yet. Was he waiting for her gloss to fade? Insensitive idiot! She huffed, turning around just in time to spot Goku scratching the back of his head nervously at something a group of random, spoiled rich ladies were saying to him. She had greeted them earlier, but for the life of her she couldn't remember who or from where they were supposed to hail from. Oh, boy. She dashed to the rescue.

"Goku, there you are," she slipped in skillfully. "Oh, excuse me ladies, I need to borrow my friend here for a minute."

"Aww," they collectively whined. "Come find us later Goku!" they giggled after the two as they made their escape.

"Man!" Goku sighed in relief. "Girls are just..." he shook his head. "I don't know why Krillin and Master Roshi are so obsessed with them. They're so boring."

"Hey! Don't lump me in with that lot, I am anything but boring," the blue-haired woman protested.

"Heh, aww, come on Bulma, you know I didn't mean anything by it. Besides, it's not like you're a _girl_-girl you know. You're just Bulma," he shrugged.

"Hmm, well I don't mind you saying that only 'cause it's you Goku. Only one man's opinion of my feminine wiles matters tonight," she grinned.

"Your femine what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Never mind Goku. Come with me," she beckoned. "Let's do something."

"Err," he scratched his neck. "I kinda wanna stay here in the open so Chichi can find me easily," he said sheepishly.

"Well she's not here yet, so come!" she commanded, storming to a rather secluded part of the garden. "You see this spot?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Grab that table over there and move it here where no one is likely to come."

"Uh, okay." Said Goku, dashing to said table, picking it up without effort and walking back to the "spot" where Bulma was waiting. "Why do you want it here where no one will see it?"

"This table will be reserved for you, that's why. If you have to eat, eat only what's laid out here, out of the public eye," she said with a glare. "I don't want you and your appetite ruining this cocktail party."

Goku pouted—he didn't look pleased at all with this arrangement.

"Look," smiled Bulma reassuringly. "You want to spend as much time with Chichi as you can, right? This will help you. If you guys are out there with the rest of the guests, people will be cutting in to your conversation all the time, and you don't want that. This spot is nice and cosy; the lighting is dim and romantic; trust me."

"I don't know Bulma, sounds more like you're trying to get me out of the way. I'm not that bad. I won't embarrass you or nothing."

"Goku! Don't be like that; this is for both our sakes, I promise! Look, I'll send some servants out to bring a tray of those croquembouches from Chichi's Delish. This way you can show her how much you love her cooking by eating every last one okay? That should make her happy."

"Are you sure?" he regarded her skeptically.

"Trust me, women love to be praised!" she beamed.

* * *

><p>She was no-one, her presence blending into the darkness as quietly and as indistinctly as her existence. She moved from shadow to shadow as fluidly as a panther, using the cover of night as her own personal shadow blanket. Just like her birth, she leapt through the night unregistered, her attention focused on quietly trailing, stalking, and hunting her prey. This was her only significance, her only purpose for existing, and she did it with exemplary stealth, lulling all those around her into a false sense of solitude.<p>

She checked her watch, frowning at the time. There appeared to be an unexpected variable not accounted for in her instructions. A woman had appeared from the shadows, joining him in what she recognised as a sexual embrace. According to her information, the man was supposed to be here alone, but a mission was a mission and a professional knew that improvisation was a big part of the job.

She measured the distance with her trained eye, picking up just enough momentum to make the leap. Like a ballerina she flew through the air, her supple limbs expertly twirling down the lamp post. She slid down to ground level, startling the embracing duo into an abrupt halt.

"Who the...where did you—" the man—her target—blabbered.

She moved swiftly, tapping the gaping woman at a spot behind her neck and in the same breath slitting the man's throat with the blade in her hand. All three fell unanimously, the woman in a quiet thud, the man in a guttural and bloody choke, and finally the blade in a noisy clank. She had no further interest in the first and the last anymore, her only interest was with the second. Two gloved fingers checked his pulse, a professional didn't make assumptions. Dispassionately, she nodded her head. He was dead. Good.

All that remained was the calling card, as per instructions.

Less than ten minutes later, Chichi leapt away from the scene, leaving no trace that she was ever there, except for the bloody mayhem she'd left behind to tell the tale.

Her thoughts had already dismissed the entire affair; it was no longer worthy of her consideration. She was thinking about other matters now, like how she was immensely displeased with her tardiness for her next task: She had a debt to repay to that boy, and yet, she was already late.

* * *

><p>Goku shuffled his feet just south of the fountain. He was surrounded by a hoard of giggling girls – daughters of company presidents, daughters of revered scientists, and other such heiresses to vast fortunes across the globe. He was stuck in the middle of the world's top echelon at his party, but he could have been swimming in a bowl of tadpoles for all the interest it held for him. None of the girls chatting around him held any of his interest. His attention was fixed at the garden entrance, his eyes keeping track of all new arrivals. <em>Where is she?<em>

He felt uncomfortable in his clothes, uncomfortable with these girls, and definitely uncomfortable with how late it was getting. He couldn't even stand still on the spot for longer than a few seconds; he was fidgety and just...uncomfortable. _She should be here by now. Maybe she changed her mind and is not coming. I hope she didn't, but girls change their minds a lot. _He looked down at the perfectly kept lawn beneath his feet, completely oblivious to the question that was just directed at him.

"Is that true Goku?"

_Maybe I did something wrong, but what? Or maybe she felt like she had to come because of what Bulma said._

"He_llo_, Goku?" one of the taller girls, the really skinny one, the one whose earrings looked heavy enough to develop some serious lobe muscles with, waved a hand past his face.

"Huh?" he looked up, blinking in confusion. "Uh...sorry, I didn't get that," he said sheepishly.

"Ika was just saying," she pointed at another girl, also skinny, but Goku had noticed that her "melons" were rather full—so full in fact, he was surprised they hadn't popped out of that dress, something he'd found himself surprised to have even noticed in the first place. "...that you're classmates with Bulma, but, like," the really skinny girl was saying, "...you guys are like, totally plat_o_."

"Play...what? Potato?" he asked, confused.

They giggled, "You're so funny Goku!"

"Plato like platonic," the skinny girl with the full melons began. "Like, you guys are not...you know..." she nodded her head meaningfully.

"Uh, yeah..." he agreed, though he had no idea what he was agreeing with.

"See, I told you guys..." they began to converse amongst themselves again, leaving Goku to wander back to his previous thoughts. The teen boy put his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. It was now over fifty minutes since the party had started and still, Chichi was nowhere to be found. _She's just a little late, I shouldn't worry. I wonder if I should call her. _Hmm, he perked up at the idea. _Yes that's it! I'll call her. Who knows she might have forgotten. _A big smile spread across his face as he abruptly raced into the house. He didn't even hear the startled protests of the girls he'd left behind.

He grabbed the phone that rested on a small wooden table. His palms sweating as he punched in Chichi's home number. The ringing began, but luckily someone picked up real quick, a real grumpy someone by the sounds of it.

"_Hello…."_

"Hi!" he chirped, like someone calling at a decent hour. "Can I speak with Chichi?"

_"No!"_ said Mr Grumpy. "_She's gone out!" _he snapped, dropping the phone before Goku could put in another word.

"Oh…" he hung up his end. _I wonder where she is then? _His head drooped. _Hope she's alright…._

* * *

><p>Vegeta looked around the bustling garden; the party was well under way with loud sounds of clinking and clanking glasses amidst the alcohol induced laughter. Upbeat jazz completed the mood as his eyes searched the impressively decorated garden for Dr. Briefs. It was imperative to link the Sei name with world renowned innovators and successful businessmen as opposed to the current trash they were closely linked with in the underground. It was for this reason alone that he was here, attending this impersonal gathering of the top echelon members of society.<p>

A well-dressed waiter stopped before him and without giving it much thought Vegeta picked up a glass, distractedly placing the cold glass against his lips. He cringed at the taste, not to his liking at all, and promptly stepped closer towards the fountain to find a table to dispose of the foul liquid. Making his way across the crowd, a familiar buzzing in his pocket halted his tracks. He pulled his phone out from his pocket as he completed the distance. Settling the glass on the table, he squinted at the print across his screen. It was a message from his father, blank except for an internet link.

What did the old fool want now? If he'd done something to soil the Sei name in the media he'd...His internal tirade stopped right there. The link opened up to a news headline of one of the major online-newspapers. He read through the article carefully, taking in the gruesome description of the murder dispassionately before he killed the page, and the browser.

So, it was already done.

He was about to slip the phone back to his pocket when out of nowhere a bumbling fool tripped on nothing, his wine spilling all over his shirt. Vegeta cursed, instinctively putting his phone aside next to his abandoned glass to check himself over.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry," said the idiot as he began his clumsy form on an apology from below unruly spiky hair which, Vegeta noted, was not all that different from his own. "Didn't see ya' there, oops!" he grinned at him, rubbing the back of his idiotic looking head.

Growling, even as the cold, liquid seeped deep into his shirt, Vegeta was about to lay into the fool when blue eyes, the likes of which he had never yet seen in his blue-eyed obsessed life, fell all over him with concern. Blue hair fell forward in a rich overabundance as a feminine hand examined the damage. At the contact, Vegeta felt the muscles in his stomach contract as she brought her face up, revealing her full face for the first time. He was extremely disgusted with what he saw, or more accurately—what he felt _because_ of what he saw – the single most beautiful creature he'd ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on.

He scowled, he would _not_, would certainly _not_ even think about it. He had sworn off beautiful blue-eyed bimbos just the other day.

"You poor thing," said the creature responsible for his newly acquired self-disgust. "Mr. Sei right? I'm Bulma Briefs," she introduced herself rapidly. "I simply _must_ get that taken care of for you right away," she said, grabbing his hand impudently.

Bulma Briefs was it? This was the rumoured genius daughter of the very man he was itching to converse with. That, and only that, was the reason he was allowing himself to be dragged down corridor after corridor like this. His uncharacteristic compliance with her presumptuous manner in this matter had nothing to do with the sweet fragrance wafting down his nose from that shimmering head of blue. Oh no, it had nothing to do with those eyes that had grabbed his attention with such force that he'd almost felt compelled to add her name to his blue-eyed collection. _Almost_.

He was only allowing himself to be led by this female in order to secure a speedy meeting with Dr. Briefs – that is all.

* * *

><p>She could hardly believe her luck, when they made it to her room of choice without interruption. Goku had done a splendid job, and finally she had the beautiful man where she wanted him. The door locked behind them with an audible <em>click.<em>

"Oh no," she feigned her distress.

"What?" dark eyes regarded her with annoyance.

"Didn't realize they'd put these auto-locks in this room as well," she frowned. "So overcautious, Daddy's men," she shook her head in faux disapproval rather convincingly.

"You mean we're locked in?" She could see a twitch forming at the corner of his brow. "Damn it girl! Look what you've gotten us into!"

"Don't be so dramatic, we'll just call for help and some-" she paused, her face breaking into alarm. "Oh, just great. I left my phone in my purse on the table, would you do the honors?" she quirked.

"With what?" he spat irritably. "Magic? You dragged me here in such a hurry, I didn't even have time to reach for my phone," he reminded her.

_Damn straight_, Bulma thought. Inwardly, she was screeching at the success of her plan. _It's happening!_ Outwardly nonchalant though, she responded coolly "Since we're going to be here awhile, I guess we might as well sit?" doing just that.

Vegeta harrumphed at her suggestion, but after half a minute of scouting the room, with no obvious emergency exits, he begrudgingly sat down on one of the private lounge's couches.

Bulma cocked a confident brow, inwardly squealing like a schoolgirl. "Oh right, how could I forget? Your shirt. Give it here before that wine dries." She stood and walked over to him. "I'll quickly pour some soda on it, a sprinkle of salt too, _if_ I can find some."

With an indifferent shrug, Vegeta took off his shirt, exposing his rippling figure underneath. _That's right Mr Sei, take it all off!_ She leered down at him, trying to fight off her blush. Not wanting to get caught admiring that perfect body; however, she was quick to snatch up the shirt, walking over to a small marble countered bar in the corner. She made quick work with cupboard doors, soda cans and salt. She _was_ Bulma Briefs after all, she'd played hostess many a time at these drab events; she knew very well how to take care of a little wine stain. Satisfied with her work, she swayed her hips invitingly as she draped his shirt over the chair to dry. She was calm and confident on the outside, all the while ecstatic on the inside. _I did it! Vegeta Sei is right here in my clutches AND he's topless! _Now she just had to master the discipline not to fan herself like a love-struck fool.

"Look here girl, there must be a way to call to your security without a mobile right? Don't these rooms have some kind of system? I want out of here as soon as my shirt dries."

The blue-haired vixen shrugged, "Not this one, sorry." she said regretfully. _Heh_...like she was dumb enough to lead him to a room with a working intercom. Who did he think he was dealing with? She resisted the urge to smile.

Obviously disapproving, the stout man snorted, "That is an obvious oversight on your security's part. Perhaps you need them replaced."

"You worry too much. We'll be found in no time at all. My bodyguards are very prudent you know; they'll notice my absence right away and break this door down if they have to." She moved back to the bar and began to pull out random bottles. "In the meantime, try to relax while your shirt dries. I'll fix us a drink." She bent down to the level of the mini-fridge, pulling the door open.

Vegeta scowled in response. He was silent for a moment, hopefully getting an eyeful of the blue-haired woman's shapely behind. "I don't want a bloody drink girl," he eventually said, "I want to get out of this room as soon as possible."

"Trust me, you'll like this drink," she winked, as she passed him a cocktail glass with a thick and fiery red liquid.

Eyeing the drink distrustfully, he made his thoughts known, "I have a very specialized taste, girl. It takes a very high level of quality to satisfy my palate."

Bulma raised an eyebrow before settling herself on the bar, the platform accentuating her bust. "Quite the prudish snob aren't we?" she asked playfully. When his eyebrow quirked in surprise at her insult, she grinned, "You know, I caught your feature on Forbas the other day. You must think rather highly of yourself," she smiled, amused at his reaction. "Oh, and believe me, if I cared enough to, I could more than satisfy any man's palate."

Vegeta merely sipped at his drink, refraining from responding to that line of conversation. Immediately, he stared at the drink in pleasant surprise, though his trademark scowl still occupied his face. "It will suffice. Not bad girl," he said without praise or scorn.

Bulma smiled slightly before scowling at his choice of words. "You know, I _do_ have a name. It's Bulma."

"I will address you how I please…_girl_," Vegeta smirked.

Bulma, felt tingles run down her spine at the heated way he'd just said that word. It wouldn't do, it wouldn't do at all to get even more flustered than she already was. Surprising both Vegeta and herself, she snatched the drink from his hands, an immaturely stuck out tongue completing her motion. "Says the _prick_," the blue-haired woman shot back.

Completely shocked, Vegeta stared at her open-mouthed before he composed himself. "Insulting the guests? Such decorum Ms Briefs. My drink," he gestured towards her hand coolly.

Resolute, Bulma refused, her hands on her hips, "No. Though Ms Briefs is a step up from _girl_, it makes me feel like a haughty old prune. My name is Bulma, just Bulma."

Bull-headed as ever, Vegeta crossed his arms and remained silent.

Shrugging her shoulders, Bulma commented aloud, "I guess I need to pour this perfectly good Bloody Mary down the sink…"

Despite himself, Vegeta smirked. "Please, may I have my drink, _Ms _Bulma Briefs."

With a theatrical sigh, she handed back his drink, all the while shaking her head. "I guess that's the best the great Vegeta Sei has to offer."

"It _is_ your full name is it not?" he smirked, before he busied himself once more with his spiced beverage.

"Hmm...I've never met an old man with such brutish manners before _Mr_ Sei,"

Sputtering some of his drink, Vegeta completely shed his composed demeanour. Eyeing her suspiciously, he asked, "What do you mean old man?"

"Your age, 21."

"And how old are _you_, girl?" he demanded, feeling some dread build in his stomach. She thought a 21 year old to be something old? Just how old was she? He'd already entertained more than one fantasy involving his bed and that nigella blue hair spread across his sheets wide and open like the sea. He'd pegged her to be at most one year younger than his 21 years, even though he'd never touched a woman younger than 25 in his life.

"17," Bulma replied, "I'll be eighteen soon though."

The dark-haired man visibly flinched at that. Without making eye contact with her, he made his way to grab his shirt. He made quick work with his buttons, not caring that it was still wet. With deliberate precision, Vegeta kicked open the door, damaging both the hinges and locking mechanism.

Bulma let out a surprised squeak, her eyes wide with shock. She was so stunned that she didn't make another sound as Vegeta paused in the doorway and turned his head to quietly regard her. "Tell your father to bill the house of Sei," he said before adding "Bulma," as an after-thought.

However, whatever plans he had of leaving were short lived as a second later he was spun around by rough hands, an elbow suddenly pinned his neck against the wall. Vegeta immediately tried to struggle, quickly finding he wasn't making any progress. Pushing with more force, he managed to get the hand that was firmly gripping his fist to move back a few inches.

Without missing a beat, Vegeta lashed out with his feet, attempting to strike the person attacking him with a crippling blow to the shin before following up with a shove which would send his assailant onto the floor. As he swung out with his foot though, he was taken by surprise as the kick and the complementing shove were both resisted with ease before his assailant countered by using his elbow to push him towards the ground; leaving Vegeta as the the one on the floor tasting the lush carpet fibres of Capsule Corp.

"Bulma, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" the voice of the assailant rang out.

"Goku you idiot! Let him go right now," screeched Bulma, horrified at the sight of the two men. "Do I look like I'm hurt?" she huffed.

Although confused, Goku did as he was told. Vegeta immediately pushed hmself up, a livid look on his face. He was clearly not happy with being restrained and glared with deadly eyes at the blue-haired heiress' bodyguard.

"You-" he spat, preparing to let the man taste the best side of his fist for attacking him. However, before he could do anything, Bulma literally got in his way.

"Urgh! Goku!" she shoved him. "I can't believe this! Did you have to be so rough with him? Now poor Vegeta will be scared stiff!" she screeched.

"Aww, I'm sorry Bulma, didn't mean to scare him, when I saw a door go down I just...I just reacted," he bowed his head lamely. Though still mad, Bulma could understand Goku was only doing his job. Yet, his very actions could drive Vegeta Sei away and ruin everything for her.

With a glance to the other dark-haired man, Bulma could see his cold eyes fixated on the well-dressed bodyguard. "Pray we never meet again," he said with a deathly tone just before he stormed off.

* * *

><p>"Trust me Bulma, he's dangerous," Goku said in an uncharacteristic voice as they rejoined the party. "Krillin was right, I never should have helped you."<p>

"Are you kidding me? The guy was practically defenceless!" screeched Bulma as she stormed off to vent her frustration.

Goku didn't follow her, he knew her well enough by now – it was better to let her cool off before he had a talk with her. From just that altercation, Goku knew just how _not_ defenceless this Vegeta person was. Simply put—the guy was strong. But that's not what had him worried, being strong in itself was fine, but his Ki...there was something about it that didn't sit well with him. He definitely didn't think it was a good idea for Bulma to marry a guy like that. He was thinking of maybe going back into the house to call Krillin; maybe _he_ knew something about this guy when his breath suddenly caught in his throat. "Chichi," he whispered, his eyes caught in the net woven by her sudden appearance.

Man, that scuffle with that Vegeta guy must have taken it out more from him than he'd thought 'cause right now, he was feeling so thirsty that his throat hurt.

"I apologise for arriving so late," said Chichi, though her features did nothing to corroborate her apology. Goku kept staring at her, he couldn't stop. She looked different from the time on the bus and the time in the Delish, yet she still looked the same. She wasn't wearing flashy clothes like the rest of the girls who'd surrounded him earlier and her "melons" didn't look like they were about to pop either. She was wearing a simple black, figure-hugging dress with heels that brought her height closer to his. He supposed she had done something to her eyes and her cheeks because they looked bigger, fuller and more expressive than he'd ever seen them. She looked different in a way he couldn't explain, in a way that made him happy in a funny way, a way he'd never felt happy or excited by looking at a girl before. What was this hot, ticklish feeling floating around in his stomach?

"You are displeased by this dress?" she followed his eyes and looked down at herself, curiously inspecting the fabric like it was mysterious.

"No!" he waved his arms, "You look great Chi! I was just thinking you look different is all!" he explained, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why this hot feeling was spreading from his stomach to his cheeks.

"Well I am here, what will you do with me now?"

Goku laughed at her awkward question. "Nothing! I just want to spend time with you, that's all."

She didn't speak, but Goku wouldn't be deterred that easily. He promptly grabbed her hand. "Come, first thing's first! Let's eat!" he declared, dragging her through the bustling crowd until he'd cleared it, arriving at the out-of-view spot that Bulma had banished him to.

Funny how having Chichi here made the atmosphere of the out of the way table feel all different. He didn't feel like he was being punished anymore, he felt glad to be alone with her. It was odd this feeling; why should he want to keep her to himself? He honestly had no answer for that, but...he was glad to have her all to himself anyway. Grinning, he followed her eyes to the spread of food on the table. "What do you think?"

He knew what _he_ thought about it though. He just couldn't wait to dig in. Good thing he'd had to keep watch over the room Bulma'd decided to hide in, 'cause if he'd ventured off to this table to find it flush with food like this, he couldn't say whether he would have been able to wait or not. He had no idea what all this food was, it all looked fancy and colorful and stuff, but it sure looked tasty.

"I think," she paused, her eyes fixed on the food. "I think it looks delicious. May I?"

"Of course! No need to ask, just dig in!" he chirped happily as he did just that.

"I am allowed to use my hands?" she regarded him curiously, as if uncertain.

"You bet!" said Goku, picking up a decorated round ball of something closely resembling ground beef. He popped it into his mouth, breaking into a grin.

Chichi began took her time before she settled on something. She picked it up, carefully examining it first before she too popped it into her mouth. Unlike Goku though, she closed her eyes as she chewed on it leisurely, making appreciative sounds that stopped Goku in his tracks.

She licked at a crumb at the corner of her mouth and picked something else, treating it to the same leisurely chewing, savoring the taste nice and slow before she swallowed.

She worked her way to the middle of the table, then the top end before she finally walked all the way round so she could be within easy access of the bottom end. Each time she picked at something, each time she popped it into her mouth, sending her tongued to the corner, or bottom or top of her mouth to clean off the crumbs, Goku found himself filled with an insane urge to beat her to it. Alarm bells were ringing in his head. Did he really want to place his tongue on a girl's mouth? He'd seen it done a million times in magazines, billboards, movies, couples in the street, and in cafe's, not to mention the girls always hanging on his friend Yamcha's arm. He had seen it everywhere really, especially since they'd moved from Kame Island to settle in the city. But for the life of him, he'd never even contemplated doing it once. That is...until now.

"You are not eating Goku, is something wrong?" She waited until she had stopped chewing before she spoke.

"Uh, no. I was just..." what could he say? He didn't even understand what he had been doing himself. He had sworn that he only wanted to be friends with Chichi, he only wanted to see a smile break across that face, that's what he'd told Krillin and that's what he'd thought he'd wanted too. Yet...if he actually wanted to lick at the corners of her mouth, to taste the food from her mouth, or...if he was being completely honest, taste her period - mouth or anywhere else he was allowed, then maybe...

He gulped. Maybe he was finally becoming like his master, and if that was the case, then maybe it was time to take his master's advice?

"_Remember Goku, girls like guys who aren't afraid of getting a bit physical," The crazed old man, Goku's faux grandpa, started. He was winking oddly with his brows. "The way to go when trying to talk to a girl is… well a little squeeze on her behind, yeah that should do just nicely! Eheheeee," Roshi finished with a grin planted solidly on his face, as fantasies better untold entered his mind._

_In response, Goku scratched his head and returned his masters stare with one big question mark. "But Master Roshi, girls always slap you afterwards?" He tried desperately to figure out if this was just another one of the old guy's games._

"_And that, my dear student is what we call positive feedback!" the old man finished, quickly withdrawing before any more questions could be asked._

Well, maybe not. No matter what Master Roshi had to say, a slap from Chichi was definitely not something he was after. He was after a smile, a laugh and apparently a taste as well. Hmm, he had no experience with this kind of thing, but he _did_ have his instincts, and they'd always come through for him in the end, so forget Master Roshi's advice. He'd go about this the only way he knew how.

He'd simply make it into a challenge - if he succeeded in his original goal - if he made her laugh, even just a little, then he'd definitely taste this food from her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That's the chapter guys, do let the team know your thoughts and comments.<em>**

_Dear TDS Readers: Considering that the 2nd year anniversary of our group is nearing, we thought it best to do something to celebrate putting up with each other for 730 days. _

_As such we came to the conclusion that we wanted to do something for you guys who have read and reviewed our stories. On May 8th and 9th, several of our authors (such as Razamataz22 and Gue22) will be participating in a Questions and Answers section on our forums. _

_This is your chance to get to know the writers of TDS a little better and we might even be able to give you some advice. We look forward to seeing what it is you wish to hear from us and will appreciate any feedback._

_Much obliged,_

_Team Dragon Star_


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